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ABC News
25-06-2025
- ABC News
At the heart of Halls Creek's youth crime problem its children are hoping for solutions
As the setting sun turns the sky above Halls Creek red, Aldo Macale drives along the edge of town, waving at the young people and families he knows well. A couple of children jump on the back seat, giggling and thanking the Jaru man as they buckle up. As the Halls Creek Shire's sport and recreation manager he's offering lifts to the hall in town, 2,700km north of Perth, where the town's young people have gathered for a meeting. The goal, in a community where youth crime has been a perennial problem, is to get a sense from the kids themselves of what they need and want from their town. "I would like to have a big playground and a big shop we can shop at," says 10-year-old Charlotte, one of Aldo's five children. With a pen in hand and sustained by damper and stew, local kids are dreaming of big things for their home town. Marlee, 16, thinks even with the limited facilities available, Halls Creek is "pretty awesome". "Being on your land is good. You feel like you're at home and 'this is my Country'," she said. But the town has its problems, with overcrowding, poverty and crime affecting its young people. "Walking around … the big kids stealing cars and stuff," says a child under the age of 10 when asked what there is to do in Halls Creek. In recent months, the community was angered by a string of car thefts, while a break-in at the community's language centre prompted elders to call for change. WA Police data obtained under Freedom of Information shows that between December 2022 and July last year, 172 arrests were made under Operation Regional Shield throughout the Halls Creek sub-district. There were 232 burglaries recorded and 63 motor vehicle thefts over the same period in a town of around 3,600 people. Overcrowded homes, unemployment and chronic illness have all been listed as causes for youth crime. Youth crime is part of everyday life for many Halls Creek kids, but they don't want it to be normalised. "They think it's really cool until someone's going to get hurt but, yeah, it's not cool," Marlee says. It's sad and frustrating for the teenager. But like many other young people in town, she wants to be part of the solution. "They like to steal cars and steal from the shops," Charlotte explains. "[So] maybe put a fake car machine so they can feel like they are actually driving a car, but they don't actually have to take it." Shire chief executive Sue Leonard says youth voices are often overlooked in the Kimberley-wide efforts to assist at-risk children. "If you don't ask them, how do you create the environment that allows them to grow and be their best selves?" she says. Since he moved back to the East Kimberley with his family five years ago, Aldo has been not only listening but also supporting Halls Creek's kids. "I guess their dreams are big, but there are people in the community who can help them," he says. Aldo says even the young people facing complex challenges often have simple needs "of lighting the fire under a tree … telling stories around the campfire." "They like to come and just be a kid … the majority of them don't get that in their normal lives," he says. A new night place is set to open soon, giving local kids somewhere to gather after dark when most of the crime and other risky behaviour takes place. It will be modelled on the Fitzroy Crossing Night Place, which has helped to significantly reduce youth offending since it opened in the town earlier this year. Jungarni Jutiya Aboriginal Corporation will run the program in collaboration with other agencies, using funding from the Kimberley Juvenile Justice Strategy. "As of March last year, there were 28 [stolen vehicles in Fitzroy Crossing], and March this year it was three — that in itself speaks volumes," chief executive Lucy Navoka says. Jungarni Jutyia worker and mother Madrina Martin grew up in Halls Creek and remembers having more available to her as a teen. "They are most probably really bored, that's why the crime rate is high," she says. "We hope it's going to make a change in the crime, and hopefully we'll have kids happy to enjoy the night program." The key is consistency: the night place is the latest in a series of attempts to bring change to the streets of Halls Creek, after many programs have collapsed or failed to make an impact. Consistent funding, for both the programs themselves and the surrounding infrastructure, is the key for local leaders. "We need more housing and jobs that have a future for our young people," Sue Leonard explains. Sport looms large in the dreams of many local kids. Halls Creek has produced a string of AFL footballers, many of whom regularly return home to run clinics and inspire locals. But their immediate future will involve a common step for many children in town: heading away to boarding school. "I'll be schooling away," one 11-year-old says. He's joined by his friend, who plans to go to Sydney or Melbourne to study. Charlotte says she wants to stay in Halls Creek and her mum, Dilly Butters, who had left town, hopes more local capacity will mean her daughter won't have to leave. "What's wrong with being successful in your own town?" she asks. Chloe Mandijarra, 19, has just opened her own business through Job Pathways' Women's Hub and hopes it can turn things around for her family. "There was nothing much to do at home and not much money coming in," she says. "I wanted to do this because of my little brother and sister; they are the reasons why I started." Marlee also hopes to inspire other young people, starting from the kids at the local pool where she works after school, and who look up to her. "I really do hope Halls Creek gets better and the kids realise 'Oh, this is our home town'," she says.
News.com.au
20-06-2025
- General
- News.com.au
Native title group condemns ‘anti-social' behaviour after residents chased away from beach
An Indigenous group holding exclusive native title to a strip of land near a Queensland beach has assured locals that the public may use the land, despite claims that residents have been chased away and made to feel unsafe while attempting to cross the area. The long-running stoush over access to a Burrum Heads beach, near Hervey Bay, was addressed at a community meeting held last month. In 2019, the Butchulla people were granted almost 100,000 hectares of native title land on the Fraser Coast in 2019, which includes 17,000 hectares of exclusive use. Part of the exclusive use land includes a strip of 20-metre wide foreshore in front of Burrum Heads residents' homes. In 2022, a small group of Butchulla people established a camp near the idyllic beach and were chasing away residents. This came despite criticism from the Butchulla Native Title Aboriginal Corporation (BNTAC), which insisted there was a way for 'all to enjoy this beautiful country'. Following the community meeting held at Burrum Heads Community Hall on May 14, 2025, the BNTAC released a statement on Wednesday reaffirming its position. 'We understand the concerns raised at the meeting regarding the actions taken over the last four years to prevent access to the beach at Burrum Heads through an area of exclusive possession of native title land,' the statement said. 'Our position has always been, and continues to be, that the Butchulla people do not seek to prevent the public from accessing public access routes to the beach at Burrum Heads. 'Butchulla people are collectively responsible for our land and all decisions about how land is to be used. 'No one native title holder is able to make final decisions about how the land is to be used or to prevent people from accessing the land. 'All decisions about how land is used must be made in accordance with Butchulla traditional decision-making processes.' BNTAC urged police to 'take action and protect the Burrum Heads community'. 'We understand that the public have made several complaints to the Queensland Police Service over the past four years to report incidents that have occurred while attempting to access the beach at Burrum Heads through an area of exclusive possession of native title land,' the statement said. 'Our position has always been, and continues to be, that the Butchulla People's exclusive possession does not prevent the police from exercising their powers to respond to anti-social incidents and take appropriate action where people are fearful, in peril, or have made a complaint. 'We call upon the police to use the enforcement powers at their disposal to maintain community safety for Burrum Heads residents. 'We are dedicated to working together with the people of Burrum Heads to achieve a respectful, sensitive, and lasting resolution to the concerns that have been raised. 'The Butchulla Court Determination was brought on behalf of all Butchulla People, not one or a few Butchulla persons.' The statement added that 'one of the aspects of Butchulla Peoples' native title is the right of exclusive possession'. 'Butchulla People have the right to exclusive possession and use of land and waters where it has been determined our native title rights and interests are recognised under our traditional laws and customs,' it said. 'However, the right of exclusive possession is not absolute and it is subject to laws of the State of Queensland. 'Specifically, the State of Queensland passed legislation in 1993 to confirm existing public rights of access to beaches and these are capable of being recognised as an 'interest' for the purposes of our determination. 'Butchulla People do not have the right to restrict such interests, and actions to do so are outside Queensland law as well as our traditional laws and customs.' Fraser Coast Councillor Michelle Byrne said in a statement to The Courier-Mail on Wednesday that council's powers were limited but it was engaging with 'all parties to try and find a positive resolution to the concerns of residents'. 'Council appreciates the efforts of BNTAC and the State Government, who hold the tenure of the land, and is actively working with both parties within the limits of our responsibilities for the land parcels in question,' she said. Former federal MP Keith Pitt previously argued that the best solution for the conflict was for the small stretch near the beach to be removed from the exclusive use ruling. Mr Pitt told The Daily Mail in 2023 that his office had been inundated by 'concerned Burrum Heads residents' who 'contacted my office about an area of land under native title'. 'It has resulted in restricted access to the beach and older constituents being chased off the beach,' he said. 'Every Australian is expected to abide by Australian laws and regulations, without exception.'
CTV News
03-06-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Hants County, N.S., residents rally to oppose uranium mining in the region
A Hants County, N.S., resident who planned a weekend meeting to discuss uranium mining in the area says residents in attendance voiced concerns about potential environmental and health harms and a lack of government consultation. Sarah Trask, who lives in the community of Vaughan, N.S., said in an interview Monday the community meeting to discuss proposed uranium mining in nearby Millet Brook filled a local fire station Saturday. 'The response was overwhelming,' she said, adding that the goal of the meeting was to bring information about uranium mining to the community 'because the province hasn't consulted with us.' The provincial government added uranium to its list of priority critical minerals May 14, and it issued a request for exploration proposals for three sites with known deposits of the heavy metal. Companies interested have until June 11 to submit their proposals. The locations are: an 80-hectare site in Louisville in Pictou County; a 64-hectare site in East Dalhousie in Annapolis County; and a 2,300-hectare site in Millet Brook in Hants County. Much of these areas fall on private land. The government has previously said companies selected by the province would have to seek permission from landowners to explore. However, Section 26 of the province's Mineral Resources Act allows the natural resources minister to intervene if there is a stalemate. The province did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. Trask said speakers at Saturday's event included a municipal councillor, a Mi'kmaq elder, two members of Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment and local residents. Some of these speakers voiced concerns that uranium exploration could result in potential water contamination or exposure to radon gas and radioactive dust. Trask said a project with such a high potential for risk should require extensive consultation. 'The province hasn't consulted with anyone, including First Nations and our municipalities. Usually we would hear these things through our municipal government, but these conversations just weren't had, which I feel is quite shocking,' she said. The Nova Scotia Assembly of Mi'kmaw Chiefs has repeatedly voiced concerns about government's lack of consultation with its communities as Nova Scotia pushes to develop natural resources. Legislation passed in March lifted a full ban on uranium exploration and mining that had been put in place in 2009, although there had been a moratorium on such activities since 1981. Premier Tim Houston has said the legislative changes were needed to help the province withstand economic challenges from American tariffs. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2025. Lyndsay Armstrong, The Canadian Press
