1
00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:02,520
Speaker 1: Joining me on the line right now is the Mayor

2
00:00:02,759 --> 00:00:04,480
Speaker 1: of Alice Springs, Matt Patterson.

3
00:00:04,480 --> 00:00:07,440
Speaker 2: Good morning to you, Matt, Good morning Katie.

4
00:00:07,440 --> 00:00:08,039
Speaker 3: Thanks for having me.

5
00:00:08,160 --> 00:00:10,399
Speaker 2: Matt, thanks so much for your time. Mate.

6
00:00:10,440 --> 00:00:14,320
Speaker 1: You have been screaming out about the issues in Alice

7
00:00:14,360 --> 00:00:18,520
Speaker 1: Springs for I reckon over a year. You must be

8
00:00:18,640 --> 00:00:22,520
Speaker 1: pleased that we are finally getting some national attention and

9
00:00:22,680 --> 00:00:25,479
Speaker 1: finally or in a situation where the Prime Minister turned

10
00:00:25,520 --> 00:00:26,160
Speaker 1: up yesterday.

11
00:00:27,800 --> 00:00:29,560
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think I've been in the role for about

12
00:00:29,600 --> 00:00:32,519
Speaker 3: fourteen months or fifteen months. I think since day one,

13
00:00:32,600 --> 00:00:36,120
Speaker 3: it's been the top of everyone's priory. I mean, we

14
00:00:36,240 --> 00:00:38,440
Speaker 3: just can't continue to live like this Gadian. When I

15
00:00:38,479 --> 00:00:41,760
Speaker 3: say that it's scary, it's actually scary to live here.

16
00:00:43,240 --> 00:00:45,920
Speaker 3: You know, we go in these cycles of the waves

17
00:00:45,920 --> 00:00:48,200
Speaker 3: of crime. We see and broken windows and broke stolen

18
00:00:48,240 --> 00:00:51,839
Speaker 3: cars and then ram raids and now we just see

19
00:00:52,360 --> 00:00:56,560
Speaker 3: people walking around with edged weapons, and you know, it's

20
00:00:56,680 --> 00:00:59,480
Speaker 3: unbelievable to think that that's happening in the Northern Territory

21
00:01:00,080 --> 00:01:01,440
Speaker 3: Springs in twenty twenty three.

22
00:01:01,720 --> 00:01:05,800
Speaker 1: It's atrocious and it's totally unacceptable. And I've got to

23
00:01:05,840 --> 00:01:08,120
Speaker 1: tell you, over the last few months, you know, I've

24
00:01:08,160 --> 00:01:11,679
Speaker 1: heard the likes of the government say, ah, these issues

25
00:01:11,720 --> 00:01:14,600
Speaker 1: in other places, like in North Queensland. You know, I've

26
00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:17,000
Speaker 1: just come back from Cans and I'm telling you right now,

27
00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:20,520
Speaker 1: I didn't see people sitting around getting drunk, didn't see

28
00:01:20,560 --> 00:01:23,720
Speaker 1: people walking around with edged weapons, and I certainly did

29
00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:27,120
Speaker 1: not feel unsafe walking around the strait or along the

30
00:01:27,240 --> 00:01:28,400
Speaker 1: esplanade late at night.

31
00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:33,920
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, what's happening. It is atrocious, Katie. And

32
00:01:33,959 --> 00:01:38,040
Speaker 3: you know you see domestic violence just you know, by

33
00:01:38,160 --> 00:01:42,880
Speaker 3: e spelting women in broad daylight. You know, just you

34
00:01:42,959 --> 00:01:48,680
Speaker 3: can't fathom to live like this. It's just incredible, and

35
00:01:48,720 --> 00:01:52,160
Speaker 3: you know, we need change and you know, we need

36
00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:56,120
Speaker 3: people to feel safe. We just want it to go

37
00:01:56,240 --> 00:01:58,480
Speaker 3: back to the other springs of old. I mean, we

38
00:01:58,520 --> 00:02:01,680
Speaker 3: had a council meeting yesterday, Katie, and question time took

39
00:02:01,880 --> 00:02:05,040
Speaker 3: an hour and forty five minutes. People just come in

40
00:02:05,080 --> 00:02:09,839
Speaker 3: and really just shared their frustrations and talked about their experiences.

41
00:02:09,880 --> 00:02:12,800
Speaker 3: And there are some pretty harrowing experiences that people have

42
00:02:12,880 --> 00:02:16,920
Speaker 3: lived through and yeah, I mean that's happening here. So

43
00:02:17,560 --> 00:02:19,799
Speaker 3: it was obviously quite good that the Prime Minister was

44
00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:25,840
Speaker 3: here to hear from people you hear some of the concerns,

45
00:02:25,880 --> 00:02:29,760
Speaker 3: but we'll wait and see if it counters for any changes.

46
00:02:29,919 --> 00:02:30,520
Speaker 2: Matt, I mean.

47
00:02:30,480 --> 00:02:33,000
Speaker 1: Great that he was there, but five hours, I mean

48
00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:35,919
Speaker 1: the plane ride probably took longer. Did he actually get

49
00:02:35,919 --> 00:02:38,480
Speaker 1: a true gauge of what's going on in our springs.

50
00:02:41,360 --> 00:02:43,880
Speaker 3: I would have liked for him to any longer clearly

51
00:02:43,960 --> 00:02:47,600
Speaker 3: and walk around and speak to business and people who

52
00:02:47,600 --> 00:02:50,120
Speaker 3: are most effected, know the mums and duds who have

53
00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:53,640
Speaker 3: woken up with intruders in their bedroom, or the businesses

54
00:02:53,639 --> 00:02:56,560
Speaker 3: that continue to get broken into or reimnated, all those

55
00:02:56,600 --> 00:03:00,400
Speaker 3: sort of things. You know. I do appreciate that he

56
00:03:00,480 --> 00:03:03,200
Speaker 3: is a very busy man and there's obviously a snap

57
00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:06,240
Speaker 3: decision to come here, so it's clearly better than nothing.

58
00:03:07,120 --> 00:03:09,600
Speaker 3: But I'm hoping he'll be back in the near future

59
00:03:09,639 --> 00:03:12,160
Speaker 3: to have a look at the changes that have been

60
00:03:12,200 --> 00:03:14,760
Speaker 3: made and see if it's made our lives any better whatsoever.

61
00:03:14,960 --> 00:03:17,480
Speaker 1: Let's look at those changes. We know that he was

62
00:03:17,560 --> 00:03:20,600
Speaker 1: joined with the Chief Minister yesterday at that press conference.

63
00:03:20,639 --> 00:03:23,520
Speaker 1: They announced that Monday and Tuesdays are going to be

64
00:03:23,600 --> 00:03:26,840
Speaker 1: takeaway alcohol three days in Alice Springs. There will be

65
00:03:26,880 --> 00:03:29,960
Speaker 1: alcohol reduced hours on the remaining days from three pm

66
00:03:30,040 --> 00:03:34,160
Speaker 1: until seven pm only for takeaway alcohol. The government's also

67
00:03:34,200 --> 00:03:37,920
Speaker 1: going to introduce one transaction per person each day, doing

68
00:03:37,960 --> 00:03:41,520
Speaker 1: so immediately through the Band Drinker Register. These restrictions, of

69
00:03:41,560 --> 00:03:43,320
Speaker 1: course on the purchase of alcohol, they're going to be

70
00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:46,280
Speaker 1: in place for three months. They've also said that they're

71
00:03:46,320 --> 00:03:50,440
Speaker 1: going to consider implementing community wide opt out alcohol bands

72
00:03:50,760 --> 00:03:54,520
Speaker 1: with a newly appointed regional controller. Matt, what do you

73
00:03:54,560 --> 00:03:56,119
Speaker 1: make of those changes?

74
00:03:57,920 --> 00:04:00,680
Speaker 3: Oh, there's a few things. I mean in the room

75
00:04:00,800 --> 00:04:03,800
Speaker 3: is the town camps and the lapsing of stronger futures,

76
00:04:04,840 --> 00:04:06,600
Speaker 3: and that's when we've you know, we've opened up the

77
00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:10,000
Speaker 3: rivers of grog to the town camps in our springs. Katie.

78
00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:12,840
Speaker 3: Now we can't you know, the government can say that

79
00:04:12,880 --> 00:04:15,720
Speaker 3: they're doing alcohol reform, but that they can't say that

80
00:04:15,800 --> 00:04:19,080
Speaker 3: on one hand and then keep stronger futures happening on

81
00:04:19,120 --> 00:04:22,280
Speaker 3: the other hand. And I mean, clearly it's a it's

82
00:04:22,279 --> 00:04:24,640
Speaker 3: a massive issue and it's sensitive issue, but we know

83
00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:28,280
Speaker 3: that it worked, It shouldn't have lapsed. They will begged

84
00:04:28,320 --> 00:04:30,960
Speaker 3: from organizations not to take it away and they have,

85
00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:34,240
Speaker 3: so they certainly need to address that in regards to

86
00:04:34,279 --> 00:04:37,760
Speaker 3: the changes that have been put forward Monday and Tuesday. Look,

87
00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:40,640
Speaker 3: the cynic in me says that it won't work, But

88
00:04:40,880 --> 00:04:42,800
Speaker 3: I'm happy to come onto this program if it does

89
00:04:42,839 --> 00:04:46,359
Speaker 3: work and say that it's you know, I was wrong,

90
00:04:46,440 --> 00:04:50,200
Speaker 3: But we're saying we already see breakings at you know,

91
00:04:50,360 --> 00:04:53,680
Speaker 3: two or three am overnight for people wanting alcohol. So

92
00:04:53,720 --> 00:04:55,960
Speaker 3: what's going to happen when we take it away from

93
00:04:56,040 --> 00:05:00,520
Speaker 3: them for two days? So you know, I'm on very

94
00:05:00,560 --> 00:05:07,039
Speaker 3: fearful that it puts further strain on business too. We'll

95
00:05:07,040 --> 00:05:11,320
Speaker 3: get broken into and alcohol will be harder to come by.

96
00:05:11,320 --> 00:05:14,040
Speaker 3: Therefore there'll be more breaking. But no, wait and see.

97
00:05:14,080 --> 00:05:16,600
Speaker 3: And I really do hope that for this one time, Katie,

98
00:05:16,640 --> 00:05:17,560
Speaker 3: I really hope I'm wrong.

99
00:05:17,800 --> 00:05:19,920
Speaker 2: Oh same mate, I hope that we are.

100
00:05:20,240 --> 00:05:23,760
Speaker 1: I really really hope that you know that the announcement

101
00:05:23,760 --> 00:05:25,919
Speaker 1: that the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister made yesterday

102
00:05:25,960 --> 00:05:27,120
Speaker 1: actually makes a difference.

103
00:05:27,160 --> 00:05:31,080
Speaker 2: But I'm sorry to say that, you know, the past record.

104
00:05:30,920 --> 00:05:33,640
Speaker 1: Over the last six months, over the last year has

105
00:05:33,680 --> 00:05:37,280
Speaker 1: not really shown us that anything's working. In fact, I

106
00:05:37,320 --> 00:05:39,720
Speaker 1: would argue, and I'm sure you would argue that things

107
00:05:39,720 --> 00:05:40,560
Speaker 1: have gotten worse.

108
00:05:42,520 --> 00:05:46,120
Speaker 3: Oh really, I mean since July seventeen. We were already

109
00:05:46,120 --> 00:05:48,240
Speaker 3: on a slow burn like that, you know, we were

110
00:05:48,279 --> 00:05:52,039
Speaker 3: already going downhill at at slow burn rate, relapsing the

111
00:05:52,080 --> 00:05:57,120
Speaker 3: stronger futures. It blows your mind what's happening in town.

112
00:05:57,560 --> 00:05:59,680
Speaker 3: But I want to say, if alcohol is the problem,

113
00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:03,560
Speaker 3: if our cohol is the problem, here, what you're going

114
00:06:03,560 --> 00:06:06,080
Speaker 3: through in Darlin, Katie, it was Alice Springs twelve months ago. Like,

115
00:06:06,080 --> 00:06:08,000
Speaker 3: I don't want to send her a wave of fear

116
00:06:08,040 --> 00:06:11,800
Speaker 3: through Darwin, but what was happening in Alice Springs twelve

117
00:06:11,839 --> 00:06:13,760
Speaker 3: months ago is what you guys are going through now.

118
00:06:13,800 --> 00:06:16,920
Speaker 3: So what you know, if olcohol is the problem, then

119
00:06:16,960 --> 00:06:20,360
Speaker 3: it should be territory wide changes Monday Tuesday, and then

120
00:06:20,400 --> 00:06:22,960
Speaker 3: see if you know crime rates drop in Darwin, because

121
00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:24,520
Speaker 3: it's not all roses up there either.

122
00:06:24,720 --> 00:06:27,040
Speaker 1: It's certainly not that we can attest to that. There

123
00:06:27,080 --> 00:06:29,919
Speaker 1: is no doubt about it, and your spot on you know,

124
00:06:29,960 --> 00:06:31,920
Speaker 1: we say we've got a crime crisis in Alice Springs

125
00:06:31,920 --> 00:06:34,080
Speaker 1: and there is no doubt that you guys are suffering

126
00:06:34,080 --> 00:06:37,279
Speaker 1: worse than anybody at the moment. But what's happening up

127
00:06:37,320 --> 00:06:39,400
Speaker 1: here in the top end is no good either, And

128
00:06:39,440 --> 00:06:43,520
Speaker 1: the government seriously needs to listen to what territorians are saying.

129
00:06:43,560 --> 00:06:44,960
Speaker 2: I take on board that obviously.

130
00:06:45,040 --> 00:06:46,599
Speaker 1: I think it's a good thing that the Prime Minister

131
00:06:46,680 --> 00:06:50,000
Speaker 1: was there yesterday and trying to listen to locals in Alice.

132
00:06:50,760 --> 00:06:52,600
Speaker 1: But he is dead wrong if he thinks that there's

133
00:06:52,600 --> 00:06:54,800
Speaker 1: only issues in Alice Springs.

134
00:06:55,240 --> 00:06:58,680
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's right, And I mean, you know, I use

135
00:06:58,760 --> 00:07:01,360
Speaker 3: the fire analogy, but the two fires burning here, Kit

136
00:07:01,480 --> 00:07:03,720
Speaker 3: There's one is the alcohol and yes, our coal is

137
00:07:03,720 --> 00:07:07,120
Speaker 3: a problem. But there's two, which is the any social behavior. Right,

138
00:07:07,200 --> 00:07:09,920
Speaker 3: so just by removing our cohol doesn't address you know,

139
00:07:10,000 --> 00:07:12,000
Speaker 3: having five and six year olds on the street late

140
00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:17,600
Speaker 3: at night. So you know, we it addresses the alcohol

141
00:07:17,840 --> 00:07:20,800
Speaker 3: issues with the announcement yesterday, but it certainly doesn't help

142
00:07:21,440 --> 00:07:24,520
Speaker 3: address the any social behavior stuff. So I've made the

143
00:07:24,560 --> 00:07:26,840
Speaker 3: plea that we need more resources down here. We've seen

144
00:07:26,840 --> 00:07:30,080
Speaker 3: an operation Drina. The perception in the community is there

145
00:07:30,120 --> 00:07:32,760
Speaker 3: was a visual presence of police and so the perception

146
00:07:32,920 --> 00:07:35,680
Speaker 3: was that people felt safer. Unfortunately, we heard that it

147
00:07:35,720 --> 00:07:38,840
Speaker 3: wasn't sustainable to keep those police on the ground in

148
00:07:38,880 --> 00:07:42,560
Speaker 3: Alice Springs. Well, my response to that is it's not

149
00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:45,320
Speaker 3: sustainable in Alice Springs to continue to face this level

150
00:07:45,320 --> 00:07:49,160
Speaker 3: of any social behavior and crime that happens every minute

151
00:07:49,240 --> 00:07:50,000
Speaker 3: of every day.

152
00:07:50,920 --> 00:07:54,760
Speaker 1: Matt were there was certainly sort of the suggestion, I

153
00:07:54,760 --> 00:07:56,720
Speaker 1: think you'd have to say yesterday that there was a

154
00:07:56,760 --> 00:07:59,960
Speaker 1: massive clean up around Alice Springs before the Prime Minister arrived.

155
00:08:00,640 --> 00:08:02,640
Speaker 1: Do you have any further detail or do you think

156
00:08:02,640 --> 00:08:05,440
Speaker 1: that the way that the town was presented was a

157
00:08:05,480 --> 00:08:07,560
Speaker 1: true indication of how things.

158
00:08:07,320 --> 00:08:08,040
Speaker 2: Have been of late.

159
00:08:10,680 --> 00:08:12,880
Speaker 3: Look, we obviously see more police on the ground last

160
00:08:12,880 --> 00:08:16,960
Speaker 3: week when the Commissioner and Minister Worden we're here. We're

161
00:08:17,040 --> 00:08:19,760
Speaker 3: seeing the horses. We've got a horse patrol, right, We've

162
00:08:19,760 --> 00:08:22,600
Speaker 3: seen that during Operation Drina. We hadn't seen it again

163
00:08:23,440 --> 00:08:26,640
Speaker 3: until Friday when they were here. So clearly there's more

164
00:08:26,680 --> 00:08:29,600
Speaker 3: police when for obvious reasons, when the Prime Minister is here.

165
00:08:29,640 --> 00:08:34,920
Speaker 3: But yeah, there was certainly less people on the street yesterday.

166
00:08:35,679 --> 00:08:39,040
Speaker 3: And yeah, I mean, to be fair, the Prime Minister

167
00:08:39,080 --> 00:08:40,800
Speaker 3: didn't really see much of the town because he was

168
00:08:40,840 --> 00:08:44,600
Speaker 3: in an office the whole time he was here, so

169
00:08:44,640 --> 00:08:46,520
Speaker 3: it just basically went from the airport to the office

170
00:08:46,520 --> 00:08:51,080
Speaker 3: and then back again. So look, I apparently there was

171
00:08:51,320 --> 00:08:55,000
Speaker 3: you know, people picked up and no doubt of the

172
00:08:55,000 --> 00:08:57,760
Speaker 3: CBD but I can't confirm that, Matt.

173
00:08:58,200 --> 00:09:00,679
Speaker 1: We know that this role of the regional controller is

174
00:09:00,720 --> 00:09:04,360
Speaker 1: going to be filled by Darrell Anderson. She's got basically

175
00:09:04,400 --> 00:09:06,800
Speaker 1: the next week to have a really good look at

176
00:09:06,800 --> 00:09:09,680
Speaker 1: how things are happening in Alice. What do you think

177
00:09:09,760 --> 00:09:14,439
Speaker 1: is going to happen come the first of February.

178
00:09:14,840 --> 00:09:18,200
Speaker 3: I'm not sure. You know, Durrell's a pretty good operator,

179
00:09:18,280 --> 00:09:20,480
Speaker 3: so I will share the best of luck in that role,

180
00:09:20,520 --> 00:09:24,040
Speaker 3: and you know, we'll wait and see what happened in

181
00:09:24,080 --> 00:09:26,640
Speaker 3: the first to save I suppose well.

182
00:09:26,679 --> 00:09:29,880
Speaker 1: Matt Patterson, the mayor of Alice Springs, we appreciate your

183
00:09:29,920 --> 00:09:31,880
Speaker 1: time this morning, but we appreciate all the time you've

184
00:09:31,880 --> 00:09:33,600
Speaker 1: given us over the last year as well.

185
00:09:33,960 --> 00:09:34,840
Speaker 2: You know, I'm.

186
00:09:34,640 --> 00:09:38,400
Speaker 1: Pleased to see that this issue has gained the national

187
00:09:38,840 --> 00:09:42,840
Speaker 1: significance and importance that it deserves right now, because you

188
00:09:42,920 --> 00:09:44,520
Speaker 1: and I have been banging on about it on this

189
00:09:44,600 --> 00:09:49,000
Speaker 1: show on numerous occasions. So I'm really very pleased that

190
00:09:49,960 --> 00:09:53,240
Speaker 1: right around the nation people have a better understanding of

191
00:09:53,280 --> 00:09:55,720
Speaker 1: what's going on in the Red Center, and I really

192
00:09:56,040 --> 00:09:58,959
Speaker 1: hope that there is some change for the good.

193
00:10:00,559 --> 00:10:03,040
Speaker 3: Thanks Katie, And you know, as I've said many times,

194
00:10:03,040 --> 00:10:05,199
Speaker 3: we can't because like this, we can't be scared to

195
00:10:05,240 --> 00:10:06,840
Speaker 3: go to sleep in our own bed because we don't

196
00:10:06,840 --> 00:10:09,400
Speaker 3: know what's going to happen that night. And thank you

197
00:10:09,440 --> 00:10:12,800
Speaker 3: for your support and covering it all. But we just

198
00:10:12,840 --> 00:10:14,440
Speaker 3: need to make sure that this isn't just a new

199
00:10:14,520 --> 00:10:16,880
Speaker 3: cycle for national media, that we continue on pressing it.

200
00:10:17,000 --> 00:10:19,079
Speaker 3: So I think that's the only way it's going to change.

201
00:10:19,280 --> 00:10:21,160
Speaker 3: Spot on pushing the barrow, So.

202
00:10:21,520 --> 00:10:24,920
Speaker 1: Spot on your no worries at all. Well, Matt Patterson,

203
00:10:24,960 --> 00:10:27,320
Speaker 1: we appreciate your time. Thanks very much for speaking to

204
00:10:27,400 --> 00:10:28,000
Speaker 1: us this morning.

205
00:10:29,120 --> 00:10:31,000
Speaker 2: Thanks Katie, thank you,