SpeakEZE Speech

Callum Miller

Ladies and Gentlemen, I, personally, growing up in the hood (of Townsville, also known as Kelso),
know how cold the streets can be. I have many stories from the ghetto. One time, me and my
homies were grabbing something to eat, and a yung gangster rolled up on us:”Aight B, lemme
borrow yo bicycle foo”. My homies and I looked at each other. “Give it to me, or we finna have
beef dawg”. Years in the streets had trained me for this moment. What did a cold, hard, street
rat like me do, you ask? I ran away. But he gave chase. On a pink children’s tricycle. We just
managed to escape with our lives. And that was the day that I learned how hard the streets
really be. Chairperson, ladies and gentleman, I hope you locked your cars and homes, because
my name is Callum Miller, otherwise known as Lil’ C on the street, and I’ll be speaking about the
youth crime problem and Townsville, and how we fail to address it properly.

Okay, but seriously. I know people down in the Rasmussen area who have had bricks thrown
through their windows by the “K1 Bloods” Another guy I know was almost stabbed on the bus on
the way home by the “Townsville Crips”. Youth crime is a pretty large problem, and that is an
undeniable fact. But what if I told you that these kids are just normal kids, like myself and
everyone else presenting here tonight, they just haven’t been given a proper chance. I know to
most of you this idea may sound completely absurd. Headline articles about cars getting stolen,
people breaking into your homes, the radio and television constantly updating you on the latest
criminal acts undertaken by these “delinquents”, when perhaps the headlines should prioritise
domestic violence, broken homes, criminal neglect and lack of support services! These are the
problems we need to consider today.

What features do you all envision when you picture a local Townsville young offender? You may
not want to admit it, but most likely picturing a youth of Indigenous ethnicity. This may be a
“taboo” or “politically incorrect” stereotype. But this does not mean it is not true. The first step
to solving a problem, ladies and gentleman, is to acknowledge there is one. And there is a
problem. A cultural problem. 88 out of 117 young offenders currently in the Townsville youth
justice system are Indigenous. Why is this? These youth are victims of intergenerational social
problems like family violence and/or abuse, alcohol and/or drug abuse, homelessness, mental
health issues, disengagement with education system and specifically with indigenous families the
lasting effects of the Stolen generation. Politicians, and the general public as a whole, seems to
think that throwing money at the problem until it goes away is an adequate solution. This
strategy hasn’t worked in the 47 years, since the government first introduced financial support
for disenfranchised Indigenous young people and their families, what makes you think it’ll work
now?

Statistics don’t lie. The startling rates of self-harm and suicide in these youth are absolutely
unacceptable. 80% of suicides nationally between the age of 10 to 24 are Indigenous. This is not
a crime problem, as the media loves to portray it - this is a health problem. It’s a community
problem – and most importantly, it is our problem.

To find out more, I spoke with a respected local elder of the Bindal peoples, Uncle Alfred, from
the Smallwood family. Uncle Alfred has worked for ten years on the Murri court with many
offenders, young and old. Murri court links offenders to community elders and support services.
He explained to me the large assortment of problems which have been plaguing Indigenous
youth and how we should approach this problem. Although Uncle Alfred doesn’t have all the
answers, he does have a strong belief in affirming cultural identity.
 Uncle told me that there are three kinds of ‘warrior’ in Indigenous culture. The today warrior,
who is respectful, a good leader, trustworthy, honest, truthful, helpful and respects black lore.
Then there is the tomorrow warrior, who is stronger and wiser than today’s. Finally, there is the
lost warrior, which is where these misguided youth lie. Lost warriors have lost their black lore.
They have no respect for elders, and often turn to self-harm, in the form of what we see these
youth doing: alcoholism, drug abuse, theft, etc. to deal with their problems. We, as a
community, need to band together to combat this problem, to help guide these ‘lost warriors.
We need to understand that blindly throwing money at the problem, will not make it cease to
exist. Community problems need to be addressed using culturally appropriate solutions, which is
what Uncle Alfred is aiming to do. And as long as we continue to try with the same superficial
approach; putting kids into juvie and hoping for the best, the problem will continue to amplify.

This isn’t an easy problem. Statistically, in Townsville, youth crime is predominantly an aboriginal
problem. But it is not just their problem. We need to come together as one community and
stand against this problem together. Get out there, support your local community groups for
Indigenous and family support. Spread awareness of this problem and urge others to take action
as well. People are fallible. Ideas are too. Some are successful and some fail. We need the
courage to discard old ideas and try the new. We need to listen more, and be more open minded
to new ideas and methods. In the words of Stan Grant, ask yourself: “How can we be better.”