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Australian Fabians Young Writers Competition ‘Race Matthews Award’ The Challenge? Leave no-one behind Young peoples’ social issues challenge all Australians to develop new public policies and actions. Governments have been quick to react to public pressure through knee-jerk responses that ignore underlying social issues faced by many young people. Anti-social behaviour is an umbrella term describing a variety of illegal activities such as binge drinking, illicit drug use, assaults and street violence. These vastly different behaviours, and the umbrella solutions put forward to tackle them, albiet falsely, convey an impression that governments’ understand the issue. Youth lawlessness is increasing. Latest figures show that in the 2007-08 financial year, there was a 17% increase in assaults in the Melbourne CBD. Across Victoria homicide rates increased by 9%, arson by 8.4%, aggravated burglary by 10.2%, assaults by 7.4% and drug related offences by 4%. Violent behaviour on Victoria’s public transport network increased with assaults up 22% and robberies 87%. In my own municipality of Moreland, homicide rates have increased by 133% and assaults by 2.9%. According to a Police Association survey, 8 in 10 Victorians believe that crime has risen in the city, and 6 in 10 say they feel unsafe walking the CBD streets at night. Responding to these trends, the Victorian Government announced a range of umbrella one-solution fits all initiatives which have included a temporary 2am curfew lockout on late night venues throughout the city, a freeze on new alcohol licences, more police patrolling in late night districts, and increased liquor inspectors. The measures generated a record 21,000 venue inspections and a more than 23% increase in the number of people arrested for drunkenness. Despite this, Premier Brumby’s Health Taskforce stated the lockout policy had been an ‘unmitigated failure’ because it failed to directly tackle youth lawlessness. Victoria’s Police Commissioner, Simon Overland, acknowledged that Victoria ‘cannot arrest its way’ out of this increasing pattern of illegal behaviour. Commissioner Overland also acknowledged that achieving sustainable change in behaviour will require patience. Front line police are making record arrests, a clear indication that social intervention strategies are not working. Critics who demand an end to street violence tomorrow must recognise that tackling this issue could take years. Canvassing long term responses must be a priority. The decline in social and moral values amongst young people has a clear correlation with the increase in youth lawlessness. The inability of policy makers to understand a young person raised in an environment of fear, violence and an absence of a solid family structure, complicates any hope of a long-term workable outcome. Imagine walking in ‘Billy’s’ shoes, a young person made famous in the Bon Jovi ‘Someday I’ll be Saturday Night’ song; “My name is Billy Jean, my love was bought and sold. I’m only sixteen I feel a hundred years old, my foster daddy went took my innocence away, but street life aint much better but at least I’m getting paid…” Consider the plight of growing up as ‘Billy’; physically, mentally and emotionally abused all her life. Imagine a substance dependency since birth, because your mother fed you heroin and alcohol during her pregnancy. Remember being removed from your biological parents, as a five year old, by social workers and forced into foster care, and an unending cycle of molestation and abuse. Imagine no-one else to turn to other than a life of crime- on the streets to support the addiction you were born with. Imagine living in ‘Jim’s’ environment, a young person from the same song; “Hey my name is Jim, where did I go wrong? My life’s a bargain basement and all the good stuff’s gone. I just can’t hold a job, where do I belong? I’ve been sleeping in my car, my dreams moved on…” Today Jim has no job, no qualifications, no prospects, no known relations and nothing to show for his life. Teased from a young age, survival demanded petty crime, alcohol abuse, and illegal behaviour. He is now one of Victoria’s statistics, arrested during the crack down on anti-social behaviour. Why are young people engaging in the damaging activities reflected in Billy’s and Jim’s lives? The Australian Institute of Criminology has found 49% of female and 34% of male detainees with substance addictions had experienced at least one form of child abuse. 61% of female and 52% of male detainees with mental illness had experienced some form of childhood abuse. Between 1993-2007 the number of people 14 years and older who had recently consumed alcohol rose from 77.9% to 82.9%. The numbers consuming cocaine increased from 0.5% to 1.6% while ecstasy consumption rose from 1.2% to 3.5% . Ten year olds are now being admitted into drug an alcohol programs, and 50% more Australians are now seeking help for substance problems than six years. While well intentioned, the latest umbrella campaign cleaning up Victoria’s streets is Quixotic. Directing the majority of funding and resources on crime and justice ignores the more challenging but essential early intervention options. The approach that policy makers have adopted over the last century to tackling these issues has been to slap bandaid solutions to address an array of problems. You wouldn’t simply stick a bandaid on someone who has a broken leg, fractured skull or high blood pressure. Like specific medical conditions require specific treatment, tackling youth lawlessness requires specific policy applications. Where young people experience abuse or violence, Governments, having formulated a considered plan, must provide quick responses, easily accessible case management and outreach support with early intervention for those experiencing abuse. Delay at the outset increases costs later on. Anti-social behaviour costs the Australian community more than $15 billion each year through crime, violence, injuries, illness and lost productivity. If the community is prepared to give ‘Billy’ and ‘Jim’ an alternative future; free from crime and substance abuse and other so-called ‘anti-social’ activities, then it is imperative for a renaissance, and a more enlightened approach. Governments must ensure that a considered plan involving early intervention assumes pre-eminence above knee-jerk publicity seeking responses. Things to Do Digg it Save This Page
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The Challenge? Leave no-one behind
