1
00:00:00,840 --> 00:00:04,240
Speaker 1: Darwin's biggest shopping center have announced a no school, no

2
00:00:04,440 --> 00:00:07,520
Speaker 1: service policy after a spade of bands for students and

3
00:00:07,600 --> 00:00:11,280
Speaker 1: ramping up security last year. Now the policy at Casarina Square,

4
00:00:11,320 --> 00:00:14,320
Speaker 1: which took effect on Tuesday, is going to see school

5
00:00:14,320 --> 00:00:18,000
Speaker 1: age students refuse centry to the complex during eight am

6
00:00:18,200 --> 00:00:20,880
Speaker 1: and three pm weekdays. I reckon this is going to

7
00:00:20,880 --> 00:00:24,040
Speaker 1: be definitely something that's welcomed by a lot of people.

8
00:00:24,280 --> 00:00:25,880
Speaker 1: And joining me on the line to tell us a

9
00:00:25,920 --> 00:00:28,560
Speaker 1: little bit more about this is Polly Lemonde, who is

10
00:00:28,680 --> 00:00:31,280
Speaker 1: indeed the center manager. Good morning to you, Polly.

11
00:00:32,200 --> 00:00:33,320
Speaker 2: Good morning Katie.

12
00:00:33,520 --> 00:00:36,360
Speaker 1: Polly tell us why has the center decided to take

13
00:00:36,400 --> 00:00:37,080
Speaker 1: this approach.

14
00:00:38,200 --> 00:00:41,559
Speaker 2: Well, Katie, we're recommitting our support for this initiative. So

15
00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:45,040
Speaker 2: it's a Department of Education initiatives. We did roll this

16
00:00:45,120 --> 00:00:47,560
Speaker 2: out last year and we're getting behind it again this year.

17
00:00:47,640 --> 00:00:50,840
Speaker 2: So we just want to remind all families and young

18
00:00:50,920 --> 00:00:54,040
Speaker 2: people that they're welcoming the shopping center just outside of

19
00:00:54,120 --> 00:00:54,920
Speaker 2: school hours.

20
00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:57,640
Speaker 1: Yeah, right, So it's actually more so driven by the

21
00:00:57,640 --> 00:00:58,720
Speaker 1: Department of Education.

22
00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:01,840
Speaker 2: It is a Department of Education initiative.

23
00:01:01,960 --> 00:01:04,240
Speaker 1: Yes, I think it's a step in the right direction.

24
00:01:04,319 --> 00:01:06,400
Speaker 1: I mean, at the end of the day. We want

25
00:01:06,400 --> 00:01:08,400
Speaker 1: our kids to be at school. I understand that they're

26
00:01:08,400 --> 00:01:11,120
Speaker 1: going to get spare classes and that kind of thing,

27
00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:13,840
Speaker 1: but you want them at school. And also the center

28
00:01:13,880 --> 00:01:15,840
Speaker 1: wants to be able to, you know, to make sure

29
00:01:15,880 --> 00:01:19,640
Speaker 1: it's a safe environment and that there's no concerns for

30
00:01:19,840 --> 00:01:20,600
Speaker 1: other shoppers.

31
00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:24,399
Speaker 2: Yeah. Absolutely, And you probably would have read our Chief

32
00:01:24,440 --> 00:01:26,960
Speaker 2: Minister coming out and talking about the importance of education

33
00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:31,039
Speaker 2: this morning, and you know it's part of it's a

34
00:01:31,040 --> 00:01:33,560
Speaker 2: whole community approach that's needed. So we are a big

35
00:01:33,600 --> 00:01:35,160
Speaker 2: part of the community and we want to get behind

36
00:01:35,160 --> 00:01:37,319
Speaker 2: this and make sure young people are engaged in school.

37
00:01:37,760 --> 00:01:41,600
Speaker 1: What areas of the complex? Does it apply to the.

38
00:01:41,560 --> 00:01:46,080
Speaker 2: Whole complex, Katie So. I think often people think that

39
00:01:46,120 --> 00:01:48,800
Speaker 2: the bus interchange is part of Casuarina Square. It's not,

40
00:01:49,440 --> 00:01:53,279
Speaker 2: so that's public property. So the whole of Casualina Square,

41
00:01:53,280 --> 00:01:56,280
Speaker 2: including the quarter, the dining precinct and all the car parks.

42
00:01:56,920 --> 00:01:59,800
Speaker 2: So we've had wonderful support this week from the Department,

43
00:01:59,840 --> 00:02:02,720
Speaker 2: Edge Cation, Territory, families and police. They've been on site

44
00:02:02,720 --> 00:02:04,680
Speaker 2: with us so far for the first two days of

45
00:02:04,720 --> 00:02:07,840
Speaker 2: school and helping us to engage with families and engage

46
00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:11,000
Speaker 2: with young people and just school bemond this initiatives.

47
00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:13,280
Speaker 1: Have you had many kids rock up wanting to come

48
00:02:13,280 --> 00:02:14,400
Speaker 1: in during those hours?

49
00:02:15,480 --> 00:02:17,760
Speaker 2: I few here are there. We haven't had any issues.

50
00:02:17,800 --> 00:02:21,680
Speaker 2: Everyone that we've engaged with has been responsive and compliant

51
00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:23,320
Speaker 2: with the initiatives. So it's been wonderful.

52
00:02:23,639 --> 00:02:26,520
Speaker 1: Now tell me obviously, like you said, you know, the

53
00:02:26,520 --> 00:02:28,760
Speaker 1: bus exchange is not part of the complex, so it's

54
00:02:28,760 --> 00:02:32,400
Speaker 1: not part of your responsibility. But I'm assuming it's not

55
00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:34,840
Speaker 1: going to have any impact on kids catching the buses.

56
00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:35,919
Speaker 1: They'll still be able to do that.

57
00:02:37,560 --> 00:02:41,440
Speaker 2: Oh, absolutely, Yeah, yes, there's no I don't think there's

58
00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:44,160
Speaker 2: any anything that's going to stop kids catching buses. Just

59
00:02:44,240 --> 00:02:46,680
Speaker 2: not permitted in casuing a square and that that's not

60
00:02:46,720 --> 00:02:49,399
Speaker 2: part of our property. We don't have any responsibility over

61
00:02:49,440 --> 00:02:50,000
Speaker 2: that service.

62
00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:52,799
Speaker 1: Yeah, fair enough. How are you getting the message out

63
00:02:52,800 --> 00:02:55,200
Speaker 1: to students or has that been the responsibility of the

64
00:02:55,200 --> 00:02:57,160
Speaker 1: schools to make sure that they're aware that they're not

65
00:02:57,200 --> 00:03:00,320
Speaker 1: able to get into the shopping center during those school hours.

66
00:03:01,480 --> 00:03:04,280
Speaker 2: Yeah. So a lot of schools have actually sent communications

67
00:03:04,320 --> 00:03:07,079
Speaker 2: out to the families, which has been fantastic, and we

68
00:03:07,360 --> 00:03:09,519
Speaker 2: thank them for that. So it's not a new initiative.

69
00:03:09,560 --> 00:03:12,600
Speaker 2: With This is our second year in recent times that

70
00:03:12,600 --> 00:03:15,480
Speaker 2: we've got pine this initiative, so families should be pretty

71
00:03:15,480 --> 00:03:18,760
Speaker 2: familiar with it. Just about engaging with young people and

72
00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:20,920
Speaker 2: families as well. We've had the Department of Education on

73
00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:24,640
Speaker 2: site for a few weeks now with a little stall

74
00:03:24,720 --> 00:03:27,320
Speaker 2: set up outside Michael Hill Jeweler near our resort node

75
00:03:27,320 --> 00:03:30,280
Speaker 2: there and they've been engaging with families and working through

76
00:03:30,840 --> 00:03:33,280
Speaker 2: getting kids re enrolled, kids who might have moved or

77
00:03:33,400 --> 00:03:36,880
Speaker 2: moving from primary to middle school. So that's been fantastic

78
00:03:36,880 --> 00:03:37,839
Speaker 2: to have their support there.

79
00:03:38,360 --> 00:03:40,640
Speaker 1: Now, tell me, are there any exceptions to the rules.

80
00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:42,600
Speaker 1: I mean, I know from time to time I might

81
00:03:42,640 --> 00:03:45,400
Speaker 1: have my daughter with me if she's sick and I

82
00:03:45,440 --> 00:03:47,920
Speaker 1: need to duck in to get something from woolies or whatever.

83
00:03:48,080 --> 00:03:49,320
Speaker 1: Are you able to still do that?

84
00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:53,880
Speaker 2: So young people can be on site in the presence

85
00:03:54,040 --> 00:03:57,680
Speaker 2: of a parent or guardian. It's just they can't be

86
00:03:57,720 --> 00:04:00,880
Speaker 2: here during school hours on their own. Really, that's not

87
00:04:00,920 --> 00:04:03,080
Speaker 2: a problem. If kids are sick and at home with parents,

88
00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:04,800
Speaker 2: you need to duck in and get milk, You're not

89
00:04:04,800 --> 00:04:07,840
Speaker 2: going to be asked to leave. We're very reasonable. We're

90
00:04:07,880 --> 00:04:10,480
Speaker 2: not going to just turn people around. But if young

91
00:04:10,520 --> 00:04:12,480
Speaker 2: people are here and they're meant to be at school

92
00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:15,119
Speaker 2: and they're not with a responsible adult, then they will

93
00:04:15,120 --> 00:04:16,240
Speaker 2: be asked to leave, Polly.

94
00:04:16,360 --> 00:04:20,800
Speaker 1: What's been the reaction from shop owners and those working

95
00:04:20,839 --> 00:04:21,800
Speaker 1: within the complex?

96
00:04:23,160 --> 00:04:26,000
Speaker 2: Yeah, look, we went around and we surveyed every single

97
00:04:26,080 --> 00:04:29,440
Speaker 2: retailer last year and all were supportive of this initiative.

98
00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:32,599
Speaker 2: And when it comes down to it, parents are actually

99
00:04:32,640 --> 00:04:35,279
Speaker 2: obligated to send kids to school, so the kids shouldn't

100
00:04:35,279 --> 00:04:37,280
Speaker 2: be here anyway, They should be in school, so we're

101
00:04:37,320 --> 00:04:39,960
Speaker 2: not asking them to do anything that they shouldn't already

102
00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:40,720
Speaker 2: be doing and.

103
00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:42,920
Speaker 1: Do you reckon? It's been welcomed by shoppers as well,

104
00:04:43,440 --> 00:04:45,200
Speaker 1: Like has the feedback being pretty positive?

105
00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:50,279
Speaker 2: Yeah, look we've had a really good response. So yeah,

106
00:04:50,520 --> 00:04:52,680
Speaker 2: we've had good support and a good response. We're in

107
00:04:52,680 --> 00:04:54,719
Speaker 2: today three now, so we'll see how we go today.

108
00:04:55,400 --> 00:04:58,839
Speaker 1: Just finally, I know that last year you were able

109
00:04:58,880 --> 00:05:01,880
Speaker 1: to or the government made those changes to trespass notices

110
00:05:02,080 --> 00:05:04,680
Speaker 1: and being able to issue trespass notices. Have you had

111
00:05:04,760 --> 00:05:06,920
Speaker 1: to do much of that at Casuarina Square over the

112
00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:08,600
Speaker 1: last well since it was introduced.

113
00:05:11,839 --> 00:05:14,760
Speaker 2: We do issue trespass notices from time to time. We

114
00:05:14,800 --> 00:05:17,919
Speaker 2: don't just like to issue them willy nilly for really

115
00:05:17,960 --> 00:05:21,400
Speaker 2: minor offenses. We sort of will save that for people

116
00:05:21,400 --> 00:05:23,920
Speaker 2: who are repeat offenders and causing us real issues here

117
00:05:23,920 --> 00:05:26,200
Speaker 2: at the shopping center, and we work with police and

118
00:05:26,240 --> 00:05:29,200
Speaker 2: different partner agencies to try and support those people as

119
00:05:29,200 --> 00:05:31,880
Speaker 2: well as they're in need of services. But yet we

120
00:05:31,920 --> 00:05:35,000
Speaker 2: do use that as a tool and it can be effective.

121
00:05:35,520 --> 00:05:37,919
Speaker 1: Well, Polly Leamond, good to catch up with you this morning.

122
00:05:37,920 --> 00:05:39,320
Speaker 1: We really appreciate your time.

123
00:05:40,400 --> 00:05:42,240
Speaker 2: No worry. Thank you, Katie, thank you