Marion Scrymgour (Lingiari, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I pay my respects to Central Arrernte people, the traditional owners of Mparntwe Alice Springs, which I rise to speak about today. For thousands of years they have been the custodians of the Mparntwe Alice Springs. They deserve respect and the cultural authority that comes from this.

Mparntwe Alice Springs is currently in the midst of a major community safety challenge. It has been building for many years, with the foundations of this challenge running back decades. It has reached critical levels, with the town feeling depleted, homes and businesses being broken into and people's sense of safety threatened. Many people and community leaders have reached for solutions, with progress being made. Every day and every night dedicated people, traditional owners, youth workers and Aboriginal organisations have worked tirelessly to address systemic challenges.

Let us remember that whilst we are facing this challenge as a town it is our frontline workers who are personally sacrificing so much to keep us safe. Your work is appreciated and it is crucial to overcome the challenges we face. The roots of the challenge we face are deep and long held. Our young people are not engaged and, in many cases, do not feel safe themselves. They do not have access to good long-term jobs, our houses are overcrowded and our town camps are not properly resourced.

Stretching beyond Mparntwe Alice Springs, our remote communities cannot support long-term aspirations of people. There are not enough homes, there is limited access to power and water and meaningful jobs are scarce. Over the past decade the federal coalition government did nothing as our remote communities suffered. Homelands had not been invested in since the intervention over 14 years ago. The Community Development Program, CDP, was broken by the coalition. Yet our communities and residents of Central Australia have persevered. We are a hardy people who are determined and love our home. Our home is beautiful and with some of the most stunning natural landscapes in the world. Our home is unique, and there is a reason so many are captured by it.

What I say to the people of Mparntwe Alice Springs in Central Australia is the federal Labor government is at the table. We will work tirelessly to support frontline organisations to overcome this challenge. Already, important steps are being taken. Federal Labor is funding community patrols, youth programs and better housing out bush, and we are rebuilding the Community Development Program and creating meaningful jobs. We are investing over $120 million in the Central Australian plan, meaning a revised CBD, better lighting and better facilities. We are investing $23 million in the Gap Youth Centre so that it can offer the needed and necessary youth services.

We are working with the Alice Springs Town Council and NT government to look at and implement immediate community safety responses. Recently, the NT government announced it's social order response plan. This plan will be implemented by committee. The group is chaired by Mayor Matt Paterson and includes a number of senior traditional owners, represented by Lhere Artepe. Our business community is represented by the chamber of commerce, the tourism industry and, more important, government. Already they have set to work addressing crime and community safety, coordinating frontline patrols, creating a better lighting plan, which will light up the CBD, and working with town camps on their alcohol management plans.

As your local member I will be working hard to support the implementation committee and offer it all of the support that I can.

House adjourned at 19:59