By ERWIN CHLANDA
The public isn’t going to learn much from official channels about the bashing – alleged – with a blunt weapon of a two months old infant, inflicting serious head injuries.
Because the accused are under 18 we will not learn their names.
In March 2020 the Labor government introduced legislation following 23 recommendations of the Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children meaning “that Youth Court proceedings will now be closed to the public,” according to the Local Court website.
“A genuine representative of the news media” is permitted to be present during the proceedings but their reporting is massively restricted: They cannot name the venue of the Court in which the proceeding is heard; the identity of any witness; the names of any relative of the accused person or any other person having the care of the person.
It would be an offence, in the case of an Aboriginal person, to identify a member of the person’s community, the name or address of any place of residence of the person, the name or address of any place of education, training or employment attended by the person, or the locality in which the place is situated.
The known facts in this case are limited to the media release by the police on December 11 which included that at around 2.30pm, the accused unlawfully entered a residence on Bokhara Street, with one adult female and four children inside.
“The female victim was holding her two-month-old infant when one of the offenders threatened and assaulted her with a blunt weapon, while the second offender searched the premises.
“The youths allegedly stole the victim’s handbag and vehicle keys before fleeing the scene on foot.
“A short time later, the youths were located on Lyndavale Drive, where one of the offenders was arrested and the other fled in a vehicle.
“After a short vehicle pursuit, the second offender was apprehended.
“The infant sustained a serious head injury and is being flown to Adelaide for further treatment.”
The police later reported that the baby is in a stable condition.
From the police reports we know the accused are male and aged 16 and 17. They are charged with aggravated burglary, aggravated robbery, unlawfully cause serious harm, aggravated assault and theft.
Meanwhile Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said in a media release this afternoon her government has identified “several critical areas that require Federal Government attention”:
Centrelink payments to be made on current takeaway alcohol-free days only; reintroduce compulsory work or training programs with fortnightly reporting obligations for Centrelink recipients; conduct a performance audit of federally funded programs; ensure royalty distributions are made in communities, not in Alice Springs; extend CASA exemption for Alice Springs Police Drone Pilots to improve drone capability; implement 100% income management for parents of youth offenders; accept the Northern Territory Government’s referral to the Federal Government for parents who neglect their children, enabling additional income management.
Nothing should come as a surprise to anyone.
For years we have known about the neglect of kids that have come in conflict with the law. The substance abuse of their parent, gambling and alcohol addiction are all well documented.
Add sexual abuse and inhuman living conditions to it and you have a recipe for disaster.
No civilised society would allow these conditions to creep in, let alone continue to grow and become part of the norm.
Politicians are helplessly out of their depth and even if there would the occasional one around that is not just a radial voter pleaser, who comes up with some sensible and workable solution, he would be quickly pulled back in line by party politics and an avalanche of organisations that exist and rely on the money that is thrown at the problem for decades.
The general public is living in fear, anger and frustration at the inability to go about their daily lives without being constantly bombarded with concerns about their personal and public safety.
There is not a day were multiple houses get broken-in, cars getting stolen and property – personal and public – are destroyed.
Physical attacks, including domestic violence are the norm. One only has to look at the daily magistrate court lists to get a picture, how really bad things have become.
School attendance amongst Indigenous kids is dismal at best and schools are continuously at the receiving end of vandalism and destruction.
People are leaving the town in droves and with some notable exceptions, investments are drying up. What is however booming are various organisations like the NDIS, government funded NGOs and the public service. They all can’t find people fast enough to replace the ones that either made their money and pack-up or want their share of the loot that is on offer.
Nobody in their right mind would work under these conditions, unless they truly believe they can make a difference or the money on offer somewhat compensates for the associate risk that comes with living here.
There are victims all around. How to turn things around is the multimillion dollar question. Maintain the Status Quo certainly is not the solution, and neither is the call to lock everyone up. For that we simply don’t have the resources and facilities.