Rowan Ramsey (Grey, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

The cashless debit card was removed in Ceduna in November 2022. Minister Rishworth has accused the coalition of playing politics over its latest allegations about lawlessness in Ceduna. She says, 'There is no evidence or data the cashless debit card has worked, and Mr Ramsey's comments are misleading.' I've had more than 30 letters, mostly from Ceduna businesses, and the following are excerpts from them.

'I witnessed eight women fighting in front of the duty, pulling hair and carrying on like animals. I saw a tourist pull up, and he had his head under the tarp of his boat, and an Aboriginal man came up and started urinating on the side of his car. One of the worst incidents was a child being flogged for wanting money. This was heartbreaking. There was an Indigenous male repeatedly kicking and punching an Indigenous female in the head and body at 5.30 in the afternoon, with many tourists and locals, including children, witnessing this horrific event.

Every morning, when I arrive at work, the first job is to walk around and assess the damage to the premises and customers' vehicles stored on the premises. I feel, as does everyone, an expectation and rights to feel safe to walk in our community streets, especially in daylight hours. At the moment, this is not the case.

My children witnessed an attack on a group of people with an axe in front of my residence, with multiple police and ambulance officers turning up after the incident. It felt like a scene from a Mad Max movie. People are too scared to come shopping due to the numerous violent fights occurring in the vicinity daily; they're scared of becoming victims themselves. We had our windows smashed while I was standing inside the shop, even knowing the person who committed the crime but not even sure that they were charged.

Alcohol and drug misuse are a major concern; defecating, urinating, vomiting, yelling, swearing, arguing, verbal abuse, threats, fighting, alcohol induced sleeping, drinking alcohol, intimidation and threatening people walking by. I have to lock myself in our office when working alone due to concerns about my safety, and being unable to get in my car in the evening at times. A riot: more than 50 people involved, with people being assaulted, verbally abused and knocked out in the street. Only three police in attendance, completely outnumbered and not safe. Our gate kicked in, bike stolen, scooter stolen. I've had an Indigenous lady knocking on our door at midnight having been burnt and saying someone was trying to rape her. Two break-ins in the last three months, significant verbal abuse from people that are drunk and on drugs. Most days, we are cleaning up rubbish—paper cups from where the Red Cross give out free tea and coffee to their clients in abundance and food tins, clothing, empty drink containers. It feels wrong, having to lock ourselves in every day. Please do not ignore this email or put it in the too-hard basket. This is a very real problem and it needs urgent attention.

On shoplifting: shoplifters being asked to hand over attempted stolen products, then spiking and biting them before handing them over so the products then need to be destroyed. People walking in grab products off the shelf and walk out laughing. The staff no longer attempts to stop it as their vehicles are badly damaged in retaliation. They just write down the items for the insurance purposes.'

These comments are on the card. 'Since the Indue card was discontinued, things have got a lot worse. I'm sure if it was reinstated there would be a huge difference. Since the loss of the card, I've observed a noticeable increase in such bad behaviour. Customers that would have qualified for the Indue card are now unable to access enough funds to have their vehicles repaired. While the Indue card was active, a massive improvement in our central business district; antisocial behaviour was reduced significantly and customers on the card were able to pay their accounts promptly. The loss of the card affects my business. The kids are not wearing clean, suitable clothing; they don't have shoes on, they don't get Christmas presents and our theft rate has gone up. People with no money have no option other than to steal.

The removal of the Indue card had a massive impact on Ceduna township, it was like flicking a switch and the antisocial behaviour escalated immediately. Since the Indue card ceased, we have seen a rapid decline in our business due to escalating violence and verbal abuse.'

And on loss of faith: 'We've had a number of businesses thinking about shutting down, with one hairdresser already calling it quits and shutting down due to the issues. There will be a number of others if things don't improve soon.'

I've asked the minister, in writing, to come to Ceduna unannounced. I'm willing to accompany her when we go and discuss these issues with the more than 30 businesses and people that have contacted me from Ceduna. (Time expired)

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