Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has broken down in tears while discussing the crime problems plaguing her hometown of Alice Springs.
The Northern Territory senator spoke to Sky News Australia’s Peta Credlin about how bad crime in Alice Springs had gotten and what it was like living in the central Australian town.
“It’s every night, Peta. It is every night,” she said.
Senator Price described that she warned her 22-year-old son to be careful when he went to pick up his younger brother from a shift at the cinema the other night.
“He’s 22, and I’m saying… If you come to the lights make sure there isn’t something coming from any direction,” she said.
“Because you know there are stolen vehicles with these young people driving them through red lights, deliberately ramming cars and that sort of thing.
“There hasn’t been any let up in terms of that activity that is going on every night.”
Senator Price also relayed how she had been warned to stay away from the shopping centre in the middle of the day because there was an offender who was groping women.
And how “just last week” a 12-year-old had been attacked and groped while on her way to school.
“It’s really heartbreaking, because you don’t want to talk about your town this way. But we’re sick of it,” Senator Price said, before breaking down in tears.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t think I would get to this point, but… I love this town.”
After being comforted by host Peta Credlin, Senator Price issued a fierce rebuke to the journalists and NT politicians who had criticised opposition leader Peter Dutton for raising the issue of child sexual abuse during his two-day visit to Alice Springs this week.
“For adults… who have the responsibility to protect the lives of the vulnerable to attempt to downplay it, to call people like our leader Peter Dutton names and suggest it’s a ‘dog act’ that he’s actually investing time to listen to people on the ground and to hear what’s going on… its just beyond me,” Senator Price said.
“It’s just beyond me why there is this sort of denial, this behaviour.”
The Northern Territory senator detailed how she had personally sat through court cases and heard evidence of horrific sexual abuse against children.
“When you know about his stuff, and you know there is children as young as 2 years old with STIs, how the hell are we supposed to be the ones who are the horrible monsters in all this… when we are fighting with everything that we’ve got to try and protect these children,” she said.
Senator Price then unleashed on the ABC for its failure to “do their due diligence” and find out what is going on.
“Why does the ABC want to vilify us, why doesn’t the ABC want to protect vulnerable aboriginal children?” she asked.
“Is it because they are aboriginal that the ABC don’t want to protect them – they don’t want to be seen as racist?
“Why do they keep siding with the ideological way of approaching indigenous issues instead of treating aboriginal kids like Australian citizens?”
“I don’t get it. I just don’t get it.
The Indigenous senator, who has both Warlpiri and Celtic heritage, then called out supporters of the Voice for “empowering” those who downplay these issues.
“I’d say to people like Kerry O’Brien, I’d say to people like the Premier of Tasmania, and those Liberals who think this is a wonderful idea, that if you support this voice you’re actually supporting the voices that are coming out and criticising people like me and Peter Dutton who want to do something to change things on the ground for these vulnerable children,” Senator Price said.
“You will be empowering the voices that are trying to downplay the situation on the ground in places like Alice Springs.
“That’s why this voice is so dangerous, because that’s who will be empowered by this – not the little kids who have been sexually abused, not their voices.
“Because the ABC and others are trying to do their best to make sure that their voices aren’t being heard, but they are the voices that I am fighting for, have been fighting for and will continue to fight for.”
Source: skynews.com.au
