Hello Algiers, Ecuador, Egypt and Ukraine, and welcome to the blog...and early apologies for a bit of a wobbly post but I'm feeling a bit 'post-confrontation adrenalin wobbly'...(not again-Ed)...not quite my fault this time and certainly not quite the same as the Rory McEwen post-confrontation adrenalin 'come-down' from last week...(how can it be 'not quite your fault'?-Ed)...read on and find out.
But First: there was an interview on ABC Local Radio on Friday 18th February 2014 re the 'supported housing' unit at Yahl, just on the fringes of Mt Gambier...sorry I didn't catch the name of the interviewee or who it was he represented, but he spoke about the 4 bed facility catering to people with 'cognitive learning problems' and how they (?sorry) are training and re-integrating them into open society.
I'm a bit confused because I thought he initially said 'no criminals' were to be housed there, but then kept referring to 're-integration' and such terms that indicated that these were ex-inmates...and he kept referring to the violence issues these people have, but stated that there was no 'lock-in' policy, and that there are no specific measures to 'protect' locals from these apparently violent people being 're-integrated' in a house nearby...he only referred to Trespass laws, which are laws that apply to everybody and then only during or after an incident, and offer no genuine deterrent...
I accept and support that some attempt must be made to help people and it has to happen somewhere, but if this was happening in my street or nearby, I would want to know and I would modify my behaviour accordingly...and if I had small children about, even teenagers, that I was responsible for, I would likely be opposed to having this facility nearby...I do not apologise for considering the safety of families in their own homes ahead of the rights of offenders.
And when asked specifically about the widely held concerns re the increased number of sex-offenders being housed at the constantly expanding Mt Gambier Prison, and whether any of these will be housed at Yahl, the interviewee specifically said "no", but then went into a long explanation about 1 of the 2 people currently there, and 'yes he's 21 and he has cognitive learning issues and had thoughts but he didn't get to act on them so that's all different' (paraphrase)
(Sorry, I know you're paraphrasing, but he said these occupants are at best rehabilitating violent offenders-Ed)...yep...(and when specifically asked about sexual offenders being housed he said 'no', then explained at length that 1 of 2 actually were?-Ed)...yes...you'll appreciate I missed some bits of the interview, which is why I'm not 100% sure about the 'no criminals', but everything after that seemed to be based on the premise that these were people involved with the Corrections system...and there's no mistake about the 'no sex-offenders' comment followed by the long explanation saying 'yes'.
I did not hear any reference to where these occupants originated, eg, local offenders, from Adelaide, etc, but I also didn't hear him say that 'no, upon release all non-local offenders are returned whence they came' which is frequently stated in these type of interviews re the Mt Gambier Prison...this may just have been an omission or in the very first part of the interview I missed...whatevs...
The upshot is that there is a facility there in Yahl that has been operating already for 4 months, and at best they are 'violent' offenders, and likely sexual offenders...and why would this facility be stuck in the middle of a semi-rural community where there are no services, eg, public transport?...at the very least there should be a strict curfew to allow locals the sense of security they deserve in their own homes...it is not inappropriate to explain to the occupants that their previous behaviours have consequences that don't end after prison, and that includes curfews, etc.
The Royal Commission: continues to hold hearings re cases from the 60's and 70's and/or that are already known and/or resolved...whilst there's no excusing what happened in girl's homes in New South Wales and many similar cases, and it may genuinely help those abused to 'talk about it', this musn't be allowed as justification for not acting to pursue perpetrators...I've seen this happen too often already, self-serving politicians promoting the latest 'Inquiry' and/or defending in-action with glib statements about victims getting to talk about it.
With the St Anns Catholic School in Adelaide, and the Catholic Church's reprehensible behaviour re their ongoing bastardry in fighting against St Anns families, there is a case that has a long history being dragged into the present by the actions of the Catholics...it is therefore an appropriate case for the Commission to consider, but it is only dealing with the Catholics who'll just lie through their teeth and nobody will hold them to account....the perpetrator was gaoled and died there...as horrendous as the abuses were, and as disgraceful as the Catholics have been, this is a very narrow focus.
And again, it doesn't excuse what the Commission isn't doing...it's not coming to Mt Gambier to investigate the St Martins Lutheran School Child Abuse Cover-up that has direct paths of failed responsibility and collusion that lead straight to the doors of former Premier Mike Rann and current Jay Weatherill, the Police Dept (SAPol), the Education Dept, the Teachers Registration Board, the Crown Solicitors Office, the Dept of Public Prosecutions, the Statutory Authorities Review Committee, former local member Rory McEwen, etc, etc, etc.
All they need to do is come here, having read this blog, and I and other parents will show them exactly how pro-paedophile attitudes control politics in South Australia...(well there's your problem right there...if you believe that the Royal Commission is about doing anything more than being seen to be doing something, then no wonder you're confused-Ed)...I know, I know...I've had a life-time of people who don't want to see because they know it's true...(I know it seems like a life-time, but it's actually only 11 years going on 12-Ed)...gee thanks Ed, only 12 years, I feel so much better...
In all of the reports I've heard stemming from the Royal Commission, I've not heard one word about the Lutherans, not one word...so, we've got a Royal Commission investigating Child Abuse and Institutional Responses, and one Commissioner is the senior Catholic layperson in Australia, and another is the former Queensland Police Commissioner, and despite the breadth of failures re St Martins...(or rather because of-Ed)...indeed...not one mention of the Lutherans and not coming to Mt Gambier...yay...
Just Now On The Radio: the State Auditor General Simon ONeil has just released their latest Financial Report re the Adelaide Oval fiasco, and apparently contractor Lend Lease have been payed a $2.5million Bonus by the Labor state government despite failing to meet the associated deadline for completion of work...it appears this payment related to getting a certain area or grandstand finished for an event (the Cricket?-sorry)...and that the Infrastructure Dept also payed over $1m 'extra' for one grandstand to be completed.
(Sounds like that constructed fiasco where Labor payed the De-Salination Plant contracting consortium Adelaide Aqua, consisting of Abigroup Water, McConnell Dowell, Acciona Agua, et al, a massive bonus of $40million despite the work being well behind schedule, and then tried to sue them, and then withdrew that and just handed over another $20m-Ed)...sounds exactly like that...and I note the presence of 'Acciona', a name notorious in the South East for it's Wind Turbine bastardry and their direct connection to former Premier Mike Rann.
In Closing: I'm a bit shaky because when I got my car registered and went to the shops, there was some coward screaming abuse from the passenger seat at a young woman sitting behind the wheel...'f'n this' and 'f'n that' and waving his hands at her, etc, etc, and several people just walked by...but I walked over...and asked the young woman if she was ok...she was clearly terrified and appeared unable to respond...the gutless prick abusing her started to have a go at me.
"What's it got to do with you", etc...'I'm just parking my car, you're making it my business by yelling in the street'...then he got out of the car and came over and threatened me, waving his hands in my face, etc, "I'll smash your f***in' head in", etc...he was quite a big lad and I was fully amped ready to defend myself, but I simply stared him down, asking him quietly why he would speak like that to someone he supposedly cares about...he just kept carrying on, threatened me again, went back to the car, still mouthing off at me, got in and shut the door.
I went to the Centro Plaza office to call their security, they denied responsibility but called police and police arrived during that call, someone had already called them...I saw 'the yeller' a bit later just down the street yelling abuse at someone down his phone...(that young man has issues-Ed)...indeed...(and can't help feeling that if you were standing there on the footpath right next to him, rather than down a 1ft drop-off behind a guard rail, that his mouthy bravado in fronting you might not have made itself apparent-Ed)...indeed, good call Ed, excellent call in fact.
And while he was yelling in my face, I went to this strange place where I wanted him to take a swing, but not so that I could justify hitting him in 'self-defence', but because if he hit me, he'd do time, and at least that poor young woman would have had some respite...beyond that, I was the man there, and I did what had to be done not because I'm brave or noble, I'm not, but because it had to be done...unfortunately, beyond defending her in the moment, the well documented realities are that I may just have made things worse for her in future...(what the shreck is wrong with men?-Ed)...not all men Ed, not all men...(fair enough-Ed).
Tomorrow: No Idea Right Now
(Well that's something to look forward to then-Ed)...you and me both...
I am Nick Fletcher and this is my blog...cheers and laters...
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