As stated by Asta Hill:
“We have a youth homelessness crisis in Alice Springs, and our government is shutting young people out of public spaces – this is nothing more than an out of sight, out of mind, band aid solution.”
“If the government was serious about keeping our community safe, it would respond to the actual, immediate needs of children with the same kind of urgency as the imposition of this curfew. Many of these kids are hungry, bored and homeless. Until we address these immediate needs, the issues in our town will reoccur.”
“The curfew fails to meet the urgent needs of our young people, instead pushing them to the margins of our community, and further alienating them by sending a clear message that they are not welcome and not valued.”
“Zoom in, and the kids curfew is a punitive knee-jerk response to an incident which occurred in broad daylight, and involved predominantly adults. Zoom out, and the curfew is a punitive knee-jerk response to decades of policy failures, which have adversely impacted children in this town.”
“The curfew disproportionately affects First Nations children, particularly children experiencing hunger, homelessness, domestic family and sexual violence, and unmet disability and mental health needs. These children have been failed repeatedly by our governments, and yet are the ones who are collectively punished.”
“We cannot punish our young people out of poverty, hunger, homelessness and trauma. We cannot insist that this problem will be solved by removing them to safe spaces that may not exist. As a community, it is our responsibility to care for our most vulnerable – only by doing so will we ensure our collective safety and create a vital, thriving and inclusive community.”
