1 00:00:03,840 --> 00:00:06,840 Speaker 1: From The Australian. Here's what's on the front. I'm Claire Harvey. 2 00:00:06,920 --> 00:00:13,920 Speaker 1: It's Wednesday, September three, twenty twenty Five convicted criminals, including 3 00:00:13,920 --> 00:00:16,680 Speaker 1: a drug trafficker and a sex offender, are trying to 4 00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:20,520 Speaker 1: fight Labour's bid to hold them on Nauru. They're part 5 00:00:20,520 --> 00:00:24,599 Speaker 1: of the so called enzed YQ cohort of convicted offenders 6 00:00:24,600 --> 00:00:27,920 Speaker 1: who are not citizens of Australia but can't be deported 7 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:31,400 Speaker 1: because their home countries won't take them or they have 8 00:00:31,680 --> 00:00:40,160 Speaker 1: no alternative citizenship. The Greens Party co founder, whose membership 9 00:00:40,240 --> 00:00:44,280 Speaker 1: was canceled, is suing the Greens to reinstate him. Drew 10 00:00:44,360 --> 00:00:47,560 Speaker 1: Hutton says the party has become a cult which won't 11 00:00:47,560 --> 00:00:51,839 Speaker 1: allow any open discussion of gender or other contentious issues. 12 00:00:52,159 --> 00:00:55,800 Speaker 1: He's told the Queensland Supreme Court the party's crushing his 13 00:00:56,000 --> 00:00:59,959 Speaker 1: free speech. Those stories alive right now at the Australian 14 00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:07,720 Speaker 1: dot com dot u. A principle famous for passionately advocating 15 00:01:07,760 --> 00:01:11,039 Speaker 1: for the safety of Indigenous kids is facing charges of 16 00:01:11,080 --> 00:01:17,240 Speaker 1: assaulting five boys, including alleged choking and ear pulling. Gavin Morris, 17 00:01:17,319 --> 00:01:21,360 Speaker 1: former principle of Yupperinia School in Alice Springs, is pleading 18 00:01:21,520 --> 00:01:24,480 Speaker 1: not guilty, and his lawyer has told the court the 19 00:01:24,560 --> 00:01:35,080 Speaker 1: incidents have been unfairly characterized. That's today's episode. It's after 20 00:01:35,160 --> 00:01:41,319 Speaker 1: dark in Alice Springs and a bunch of kids are 21 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:45,720 Speaker 1: joy riding in the school bus stolen from yupperin your school. 22 00:01:46,360 --> 00:01:49,840 Speaker 1: They're weaving all over the road as other drivers scream 23 00:01:49,880 --> 00:01:50,440 Speaker 1: at them. 24 00:01:50,280 --> 00:01:51,160 Speaker 2: To pull over. 25 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:53,120 Speaker 3: Back. 26 00:01:53,160 --> 00:01:55,600 Speaker 1: In twenty twenty three, this was one of the sites 27 00:01:55,640 --> 00:02:00,640 Speaker 1: that horrified Australians. Little kids not even teenagers yet running 28 00:02:00,680 --> 00:02:05,320 Speaker 1: wild in the red center. Throughout it all, a voice 29 00:02:05,320 --> 00:02:09,360 Speaker 1: of compassion was Gavin Morris, the principle of Yepparinia School, 30 00:02:09,440 --> 00:02:12,320 Speaker 1: which is in Araluin, a suburb of Alice. 31 00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:15,280 Speaker 2: And these kids have had a gut full of feeling 32 00:02:15,800 --> 00:02:18,600 Speaker 2: scared and frightened and having to find heidi holes and 33 00:02:18,639 --> 00:02:21,119 Speaker 2: walking around the streets late at night by themselves because 34 00:02:21,160 --> 00:02:22,240 Speaker 2: they're not safe to go home. 35 00:02:25,240 --> 00:02:30,120 Speaker 1: The setting is insanely beautiful, huge blue skies, scrubby little 36 00:02:30,120 --> 00:02:33,960 Speaker 1: blue malley trees and in the distance the sandstone mountains 37 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:38,080 Speaker 1: of the McDonald Rangers reach into the sky. But the 38 00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:41,720 Speaker 1: community is deeply troubled. Morris has described some of the 39 00:02:41,800 --> 00:02:44,760 Speaker 1: families at the school who he says, are often trying 40 00:02:44,800 --> 00:02:49,320 Speaker 1: to create loving environments for their kids living in grinding poverty, 41 00:02:49,520 --> 00:02:53,320 Speaker 1: sleeping rough in the dry Todd riverbank, or clustered in 42 00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:56,400 Speaker 1: town camps where conditions are often appalling. 43 00:02:57,520 --> 00:03:01,200 Speaker 2: It's not normal behavior to have ten twelve yr olds 44 00:03:01,240 --> 00:03:04,840 Speaker 2: breaking into businesses and homes because they're trying to get 45 00:03:04,840 --> 00:03:09,600 Speaker 2: a message across. It doesn't justify the behavior, but it 46 00:03:09,600 --> 00:03:10,400 Speaker 2: does explain it. 47 00:03:11,760 --> 00:03:14,160 Speaker 1: Morris was a warrior for this community, living on the 48 00:03:14,160 --> 00:03:17,760 Speaker 1: traditional lands of the Arrent people, defending those terr away 49 00:03:17,840 --> 00:03:22,480 Speaker 1: kids as less troublemakers, more vulnerable souls desperate for help. 50 00:03:23,360 --> 00:03:25,560 Speaker 1: It was part of his philosophy about the school being 51 00:03:25,600 --> 00:03:29,360 Speaker 1: there to help kids transcend their circumstances by having a 52 00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:32,240 Speaker 1: safe place to go each day to get an education. 53 00:03:33,120 --> 00:03:36,040 Speaker 1: He was on the Alice Springstown Council and he'd one 54 00:03:36,080 --> 00:03:39,480 Speaker 1: government funding to offer boarding facilities so that school kids 55 00:03:39,520 --> 00:03:41,160 Speaker 1: could focus on their studies. 56 00:03:42,160 --> 00:03:44,200 Speaker 2: At three o'clock, these buses picked these kids up from 57 00:03:44,200 --> 00:03:46,120 Speaker 2: school and they dropped them back into the town camps, 58 00:03:46,120 --> 00:03:49,320 Speaker 2: which are absolutely abominations. They don't be at any human 59 00:03:49,400 --> 00:03:50,000 Speaker 2: rights standard. 60 00:03:51,080 --> 00:03:55,680 Speaker 1: Morris laid the blame on the organizations, including territory government 61 00:03:55,760 --> 00:03:59,440 Speaker 1: agencies which he said were failing the children. 62 00:04:00,160 --> 00:04:02,920 Speaker 2: The tens and tens of millions of dollars which goes 63 00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:06,920 Speaker 2: into organizations to maintain the town camps, to establish safe 64 00:04:06,960 --> 00:04:10,720 Speaker 2: housing and say places for Aboriginal families to live is 65 00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:11,760 Speaker 2: absolutely failing. 66 00:04:13,160 --> 00:04:16,960 Speaker 1: And then in twenty twenty four, Morris was charged with 67 00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:22,160 Speaker 1: the alleged physical assaults of some of those kids. On Tuesday, 68 00:04:22,279 --> 00:04:25,479 Speaker 1: his trial kicked off in the Alice Springs Local Court 69 00:04:25,560 --> 00:04:28,600 Speaker 1: where Morris was arraigned on five counts of the assault 70 00:04:28,680 --> 00:04:33,000 Speaker 1: of five boys aged from eight to thirteen years. Each 71 00:04:33,120 --> 00:04:38,159 Speaker 1: charge has aggravating circumstances that Morris allegedly caused harm to 72 00:04:38,240 --> 00:04:40,560 Speaker 1: the kids, and that he was an adult and they 73 00:04:40,600 --> 00:04:44,640 Speaker 1: were very young. On each count Morris pleaded not guilty, 74 00:04:45,520 --> 00:04:48,440 Speaker 1: and then the media and public were thrown out of 75 00:04:48,440 --> 00:04:48,839 Speaker 1: the court. 76 00:04:50,360 --> 00:04:53,120 Speaker 3: Normally, what would happen is that we might hear an 77 00:04:53,160 --> 00:04:57,720 Speaker 3: opening address from the prosecution, and that did not happen. 78 00:04:58,440 --> 00:05:01,760 Speaker 1: Joanna Panagopolis is the Australia Sian's journalist covering this trial. 79 00:05:03,120 --> 00:05:06,000 Speaker 1: When the judge proposed closing the court, Joe stood up 80 00:05:06,040 --> 00:05:07,760 Speaker 1: from the back of the courtroom and asked to be 81 00:05:07,800 --> 00:05:10,440 Speaker 1: allowed to stay. So we could bring our audiences a 82 00:05:10,480 --> 00:05:14,479 Speaker 1: proper account of the proceedings. Media usually aren't allowed to 83 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:18,160 Speaker 1: report the names or details of children who are alleged victims, 84 00:05:18,240 --> 00:05:21,479 Speaker 1: or sometimes even witnesses, but often we are allowed to 85 00:05:21,480 --> 00:05:25,440 Speaker 1: stay in court so we can without identifying children, report 86 00:05:25,480 --> 00:05:28,240 Speaker 1: on what they're saying. In this case, no. 87 00:05:28,320 --> 00:05:31,480 Speaker 3: Dice, so we were denied and sent out. 88 00:05:33,760 --> 00:05:36,400 Speaker 1: But here's what we can glean about what this case 89 00:05:36,480 --> 00:05:40,080 Speaker 1: is actually about. Two of the counts relate to allegations 90 00:05:40,160 --> 00:05:43,920 Speaker 1: children had their ears pulled, possibly both at the same time, 91 00:05:44,080 --> 00:05:47,880 Speaker 1: by Gavin Morris. Another relates to an allegation Morris choked 92 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:51,280 Speaker 1: or grabbed a child around the neck. Those details emerged 93 00:05:51,320 --> 00:05:55,160 Speaker 1: in legal argument before the trial began, so moments of 94 00:05:55,200 --> 00:06:01,880 Speaker 1: physical contact where the details are contested. We didn't get 95 00:06:01,920 --> 00:06:04,200 Speaker 1: to hear the first child witness, but it's clear he's 96 00:06:04,200 --> 00:06:08,159 Speaker 1: alleged being forcefully held by Morris. That's because a teacher, 97 00:06:08,279 --> 00:06:12,479 Speaker 1: Oliver Tuo, gave evidence on Tuesday afternoon about what he recalls. 98 00:06:13,640 --> 00:06:16,240 Speaker 1: Oliver Tuo described an incident where he called Morris to 99 00:06:16,279 --> 00:06:19,000 Speaker 1: his classroom to help deal with a boy who was shouting, 100 00:06:19,200 --> 00:06:23,240 Speaker 1: throwing punches, and hurling chairs. Tuo said he took the 101 00:06:23,240 --> 00:06:25,120 Speaker 1: rest of the class to the school kitchen for their 102 00:06:25,160 --> 00:06:28,359 Speaker 1: own safety, and then described seeing Morris and the boy 103 00:06:28,400 --> 00:06:31,480 Speaker 1: coming out of the classroom. He demonstrated to the court 104 00:06:31,560 --> 00:06:35,000 Speaker 1: a bear hug where Morris, standing behind the boy, had 105 00:06:35,040 --> 00:06:38,560 Speaker 1: his arms around him restraining one arm while the boy 106 00:06:38,680 --> 00:06:42,120 Speaker 1: kicked his legs towards railings and shouted, let me go. 107 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:46,120 Speaker 1: Tuo said he had not seen what had happened inside 108 00:06:46,120 --> 00:06:49,160 Speaker 1: the classroom between Morris and the boy. He said he 109 00:06:49,200 --> 00:06:51,760 Speaker 1: asked Morris if he was okay, and Morris said, yeah, 110 00:06:51,800 --> 00:06:55,400 Speaker 1: I've got this. Tuo was asked by the Crown if 111 00:06:55,440 --> 00:06:58,560 Speaker 1: he recalled ever hearing this particular child claiming he had 112 00:06:58,600 --> 00:07:01,360 Speaker 1: been choked by Gavin Morrow. He said he had not. 113 00:07:01,960 --> 00:07:03,960 Speaker 1: He was also asked if he was aware of previous 114 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:08,320 Speaker 1: incidents involving other children bullying or throwing rocks at this 115 00:07:08,440 --> 00:07:13,040 Speaker 1: particular child. Tuo said there were many violent incidents at 116 00:07:13,080 --> 00:07:16,440 Speaker 1: the school and he could not recall any particular occasions 117 00:07:16,520 --> 00:07:23,480 Speaker 1: like that. It's hid in courts, isn't it, Joe? Where 118 00:07:23,640 --> 00:07:27,480 Speaker 1: we are as the media allowed to be there for 119 00:07:27,840 --> 00:07:31,480 Speaker 1: Usually for most proceedings, there's often press benches provided for 120 00:07:31,600 --> 00:07:35,680 Speaker 1: us or somewhere to sit, but it's very difficult to 121 00:07:35,760 --> 00:07:38,920 Speaker 1: gain information. We often then find ourselves rushing to the 122 00:07:38,960 --> 00:07:41,880 Speaker 1: registry begging them to give us documents to try and 123 00:07:41,960 --> 00:07:44,120 Speaker 1: work out exactly what's going on. Yeah. 124 00:07:44,160 --> 00:07:46,400 Speaker 3: Absolutely, I mean coming into this case, we didn't know 125 00:07:46,440 --> 00:07:50,280 Speaker 3: anything except that there were five alleged charges and they 126 00:07:50,280 --> 00:07:54,080 Speaker 3: were related to an aggravated assault of someone under the 127 00:07:54,080 --> 00:07:57,559 Speaker 3: age of sixteen. And now when we enter the court 128 00:07:57,560 --> 00:08:00,080 Speaker 3: and we don't get a lay of the land in 129 00:08:00,160 --> 00:08:02,280 Speaker 3: terms of what mister Morris is being accused of, that 130 00:08:02,360 --> 00:08:05,280 Speaker 3: it's hard to paint a fair and accurate report of 131 00:08:05,680 --> 00:08:09,120 Speaker 3: what the proceedings will be and sort of what the 132 00:08:09,120 --> 00:08:12,040 Speaker 3: next ten days which it's set down for could hold. 133 00:08:15,880 --> 00:08:24,920 Speaker 1: Coming up another twist in the story of Gavin Morris. 134 00:08:32,200 --> 00:08:34,600 Speaker 1: He is an additional part of the Gavin Morris mystery. 135 00:08:35,120 --> 00:08:38,439 Speaker 1: Back in twenty twenty four, the Australians National Crime correspondent 136 00:08:38,520 --> 00:08:41,360 Speaker 1: David Murray went to Alice Springs to report on allegations 137 00:08:41,400 --> 00:08:45,520 Speaker 1: swirling around about another man. At the time, Gavin Morris 138 00:08:45,760 --> 00:08:47,880 Speaker 1: was one of the people in the community, telling Dave 139 00:08:48,040 --> 00:08:51,480 Speaker 1: he supported the kids to bring forward any allegation of wrongdoing. 140 00:08:52,240 --> 00:08:56,040 Speaker 2: I have Aboriginal staff company all the time saying Gavin, 141 00:08:56,080 --> 00:08:58,240 Speaker 2: can we do something about the way that we live. 142 00:09:00,800 --> 00:09:03,080 Speaker 2: I don't deserve to go home and live with this poverty, 143 00:09:03,120 --> 00:09:05,760 Speaker 2: with this violence. Can you help us? And what you know, 144 00:09:05,840 --> 00:09:09,520 Speaker 2: I've got the privilege to have the principal position in 145 00:09:09,520 --> 00:09:11,640 Speaker 2: your pernia. While I'm in this position, I'll be doing 146 00:09:11,640 --> 00:09:14,600 Speaker 2: whatever it takes to improve the living standards in the 147 00:09:14,600 --> 00:09:17,400 Speaker 2: town camps to get kids to school, because the way 148 00:09:17,400 --> 00:09:19,720 Speaker 2: out of poverty is to get a job and to 149 00:09:19,720 --> 00:09:23,400 Speaker 2: be on an employment pathway which is rich and purposeful, 150 00:09:23,600 --> 00:09:25,800 Speaker 2: and we have to address the living standards where these 151 00:09:25,880 --> 00:09:26,680 Speaker 2: kids are coming from. 152 00:09:28,520 --> 00:09:32,920 Speaker 1: Now both men are before the courts. It's potentially a 153 00:09:32,960 --> 00:09:36,960 Speaker 1: life changing moment for Gavin Morris, isn't it. He's left 154 00:09:36,960 --> 00:09:39,760 Speaker 1: the school, he's let go of his position at the 155 00:09:39,760 --> 00:09:44,040 Speaker 1: Alice Springs Town Council. There's a lot writing on this, Yeah. 156 00:09:43,920 --> 00:09:46,959 Speaker 3: Totally, and it feels I can only see what I'm seeing, 157 00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:49,720 Speaker 3: but it feels to me or it appears that he's 158 00:09:49,720 --> 00:09:52,320 Speaker 3: sort of carrying that with him as he walks in 159 00:09:52,320 --> 00:09:56,200 Speaker 3: and out of the courthouse. It's huge. I mean, his 160 00:09:56,320 --> 00:09:59,440 Speaker 3: whole life was here and he was obviously a pillar 161 00:09:59,480 --> 00:10:03,720 Speaker 3: of this canmmunity embedded in many parts of it. He 162 00:10:03,800 --> 00:10:07,080 Speaker 3: said before that he wants to clear his name, and 163 00:10:07,120 --> 00:10:09,040 Speaker 3: I think that's very much what he's trying to do here. 164 00:10:19,440 --> 00:10:23,040 Speaker 1: Join a Panagopolas is reporting on this trial from Alice Springs, 165 00:10:23,240 --> 00:10:26,360 Speaker 1: and you can read her coverage by joining our subscribers 166 00:10:26,440 --> 00:10:28,760 Speaker 1: at the Australian dot com dot au