Alice Springs youth call for long term solutions as opinion divided on curfew

Two prominent young Alice Springs residents are split on the emergency curfew imposed on the town, with a warning the measures could lead to more anti-social behaviour.

Young people in Alice Springs agree that “something must change” in their hometown, but opinion is divided on whether the government’s emergency curfew will help improve outcomes for the embattled community.

Arrernte teen Armani Francois felt “stressed out and disappointed” by the law and order response, which also included 25 police and 33 PALIs being urgently redeployed to the town.

“It just inflicts fear on all Indigenous youth,” the 18-year-old told the NT News.

“When they talk about community safety, what community are they talking about? Are they talking holistically? Are they talking just about the white community?

“It’s only going to inflict more anti-social behaviour because these problems are long-lasting – this approach is once again a band aid response when this is a deeper wound.”

Arrernte teen Armani Francois said she felt let down by the NT government and the curfew was not the right approach. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Ms Francois works at a youth rehab centre and said the curfew was antagonising young people who already felt disaffected with the government and “racist” policing.

“My clients laughed and they said, ‘I can’t believe this is happening, they can’t really think a curfew is actually going to stop us, because I’ve been on the street for so long – now that there’s police in the street that only makes us want to go out and see if they’re actually going to do something’,” she said.

As part of the curfew, young people found in the Alice Springs CBD between 6pm and 6am would be taken home or to a safe place, authorities say, but Ms Francois questioned where safe places were for Aboriginal children who could not return home.

She called for early childhood supports, better Aboriginal mental health services, culturally appropriate learning centres, and more community accountability.

“We’re responsible for these actions, we’re responsible for our children, and we have the solutions, it’s just about who’s willing to hear.”

2023 Young Centralian of the Year Jordon Humphreys supported the curfew but called for a rethink on tackling youth crime. Picture: Supplied

Jordon Humphreys, 18, supported the curfew but said he was “disappointed that it has gotten to the point where a curfew is required”.

“‘I’m hopeful that the government going forward will rethink its approach to working with young people,” he said.

“What we’re doing to support young Territorians and solve the youth crime crisis clearly isn’t working.”

Mr Humphreys said friends he had spoken to were “not too concerned” about the curfew, but had questions about how it would be enforced.

“I know quite a few people who work in the CBD at KFC and McDonald’s, things like that – that’s how they get their money after school hours – so it could be a lot clearer what it means for them,” he said.

The 2023 Young Centralian of the Year was involved in developing the Northern Territory youth strategy, and said he would like to see more ideas from that forum guide policymakers’ approach.

He also called for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to visit Alice Springs to facilitate a meeting between local, Territory and federal governments.