Latest news with #JohnPaterson
SBS Australia
14 hours ago
- Politics
- SBS Australia
'Recipe for disaster': advocates condemn plan to bring in guns for bus and public housing officers in the NT
Alyawarra and Luritja woman Chrystal Roberts says she is "appalled" by the latest move from the Northern Territory Government that will see officers with guns on busses and in public housing. "It's targeting our mob," Ms Roberts told NITV News. "There are language barriers, we've got our mob suffering from mental health, people with drug and alcohol [issues] ... put the money back to where we really need it." The CLP Government and NT Police, this week announced they are developing a new Police Public Safety Officer (PPSO) stream, which will see existing public safety officers trained and armed as NT police officers. In addition to carrying guns, the PPSOs will wear NT Police uniforms and operate under NT Police command targeting antisocial behaviour and high-visibility patrols. Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory (AMSANT) chief executive Dr John Paterson said the move continues a worrying trend of reactive, punitive policies that weaponise public safety. 'This will not make anyone safer," he said. "It will instead escalate confrontations, increase the likelihood of violent incidents, and put the lives of vulnerable people – including those sleeping rough – at serious risk." Dr Paterson said the proposal distracts from addressing the root causes of violence and disadvantage. "It's a worrying sign of the Territory Government's continued militarisation of public spaces and its ongoing failure to invest in the real solutions," he said. 'While community safety matters, equipping more people with weapons is not the answer." The reform will see 34 current Public Housing Saftey Officers and 22 Transit Saftey Officers, trained and re-deployed by 2026. 'What's next — arming school crossing attendants?' Brendan Ritchie, a member of Justice Not Jails – a grassroots community group based in Garramilla Darwin – says the latest changes under the CLP's 'tough on crime' agenda will disproportionately impact First Nations people. 'The NT has a tragic history of over-policing and violence against First Nations people," he said. "Giving more weapons to less-experienced 'officers' only compounds this injustice. "What's next – arming school crossing attendants?' The union that represents police also appears to have reservations about the plan, with NT Police Association president Nathan Finn telling the NT News that they needed to see more details. It follows the recent death in custody of a 24-year-old Warlpiri man, who was living with a mental disability, in Alice Springs last month. Ally Sara, also a member of Justice Not Jails, says giving more people guns will increase the risk of violence. "Putting under-trained and over-armed transit officers onto crowded buses with lethal weapons is a shockingly shortsighted recipe for disaster," she said. "Given the recent tragedy in Alice Springs, I have very little confidence in the NT Police's ability to train their staff to exercise reasonable force." Last week the NT CLP Government announced a 12-month trial to allow members of the public to buy and use pepper spray (also known as oleoresin capsicum spray or OC spray). The trial, set to begin on 1 September, makes the NT the second jurisdiction in Australia to legalise the sale and use of pepper spray, joining Western Australia. 'This is now the second step in a matter of weeks to arm underqualified individuals with weapons, first OC spray for the public and now firearms for public safety officers," Dr Paterson said. What does the NT Government say? When announcing the new changes, NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro, who is also the minister for police, said the new Police Public Safety Officer model is about boosting frontline presence and delivering real community outcomes. 'We're cutting duplication, boosting visibility, empowering our PPSO's to tackle antisocial behaviour head-on,' Ms Finocchiaro said. 'Police are doing an outstanding job, especially dealing with domestic and family violence, which now makes up around 60 per cent of their work. "This model gives them the backup they need while delivering stronger community safety outcomes.' The first intake of PPSOs is expected to commence training in December 2025, with officers operational in early 2026. Comment has been sought from the NT Police Association.
The Herald
07-05-2025
- General
- The Herald
The man who started it all
And just three years later he was still teaching when he and friend John Philip set the wheels in motion in a joint newspaper venture, with Paterson as publisher and Philip as printer. It would be almost 100 years though ( 92 years to be exact) before The Herald started publishing news on its front page. 'On behalf of John Paterson's descendants I would like to congratulate the Eastern Province Herald newspaper on its 180th birthday,' his great-great grandson Gordon Paterson, who lives in New Zealand, said on the occasion of the newspaper's 180th anniversary. He said Paterson and Philip had established the newspaper on May 7 1845 to contribute to the development of the fledgling city. 'Paterson, having the heart of an educator, knew the newspaper was a medium through which city service entities and infrastructure could be promoted and established. 'Productive citizenship and service to the community could be encouraged, as could entrepreneurship and enterprise which would develop the economic welfare and standard of living within the city.' Paterson said the book, One Titan at a Time (published in 1960), which documents the life and times of John Paterson, was a source of pride for the Paterson family and a 'challenge for us all to live productive lives as our forefather did'. He said: 'Speaking on the occasion of the 150th birthday of this remarkable newspaper, president Nelson Mandela stated: ' The moral of its story is that The Herald was founded on the rock of civic duty by a citizen, as committed to imparting academic knowledge to pupils as he was to uniting a community to take responsibility for its wellbeing. 'In that sense, John Paterson was a trailblazer whose message is as relevant today as it was one-and-half centuries ago ... Indeed, 150 years ago, Paterson could have chosen to focus on the wealthy among the new settlers, who lived in comfort amid the chaos in the settlement which he so vividly described. 'But he was concerned with the interests of that community as a whole'.' Paterson said this reinforced the notion that his great-great grandfather was a visionary who saw the broader picture of The Herald's mission. 'We wish The Herald family all the very best for its continued contribution to Gqeberha as the city charts its course during challenging times. 'Ultimately the city's success will be dependent upon the 'civic duty' of all its citizens as was the case back in 1845. 'May The Herald continue to inform and unite its citizens, thus continuing its contribution to a city which provides a future of peace and prosperity for all,' he said. John Paterson also founded Grey High School in 1856 — in his own words 'to be a fortune to one and all of the succeeding generations of youth in Port Elizabeth' — and six years later, started one of SA's most prominent and largest financial institutions, Standard Bank. Gordon Paterson has often spoken with great pride of his great-great grandfather's legacy.
The Guardian
10-02-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Two women locked in cell with up to 20 people in ‘disgusting' NT watch house
Two Aboriginal women say they have been locked in a hot, poorly ventilated cell with up to 20 people and a single tap above a toilet for drinking water in 'disgusting' conditions within the Alice Springs watch house. Police watch houses across the Northern Territory have been repurposed as long-term prison cells as record imprisonment numbers push the system to breaking point. The women's affidavits, submitted to the Alice Springs local court last month, describe their cells as 'hot, stressful and smelly' with no fresh air and inadequate space for each person to have a mattress. They said they showered every second day, sometimes walking past the men's cells to do so. 'The cell really stinks and is disgusting. You can not get away from the smell,' said Deanna, 30. 'I have not been given bottled water and have to drink the water from above the toilet. The water is warm or hot … There are arguments every day between the women.' The 'inhumane' conditions inside the watch house are a violation of human rights, alleged Dr John Paterson, the convener of Aboriginal Peak Organisations Northern Territory (Apo nt), an alliance of bodies representing Aboriginal people. 'No one deserves to be deprived of basic healthcare or denied access to clean drinking water,' he said. 'It is unacceptable, discriminatory and harmful, and has no place in the Territory or in Australia. 'Regardless of your political views on justice, we must all draw the line at allowing this degradation of humanity, of health and of culture, to exist within our community.' Simone, 35, said she had been held in the watch house for more than eight weeks, except for six days spent in hospital because she had back pain and 'doctors were worried about my kidneys'. After returning to the watch house, she said her lawyer later found some medication with her property that she had not been receiving. She said doctors also told her to use her puffer. 'When using my puffer I am meant to rinse my mouth after every use,' she said. 'I am sometimes not able to do this, as the only source of water provided is a bubbler on top of the toilet and these are shared by up to 20 people between the three cell areas shared by all the women. 'This is disgusting and the sink is often filled with sick and other peoples [sic] saliva. The toilets are blocked and stink.' Apo nt has called for an urgent meeting with the NT government. The NT Corrections minister, Gerard Maley, has been contacted for comment. Last month there were 2,613 people locked up in the NT – more than 1% of the territory's population of 255,100, according to the Department of Corrections. The NT Chief Minister, Lia Finocchiaro, has previously said the figures showed her government's tough on crime approach was working, but has conceded the rising prisoner numbers were pushing the correctional system to 'breaking point'. Work is under way to add up to 1,000 beds to the NT prison system by 2028.
