CONNECTING MELBOURNE

The Salvation Army called an old-fashioned ‘town meeting’ at 12.30 pm in Melbourne’s Federation Square on 13 April, to discuss growing concerns around youth culture, knife violence, liquor licensing and binge drinking.

Salvo officer (minister) Major Brendan Nottle coordinated the event, which featured: Melbourne’s mayor, Robert Doyle; psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg; youth activist Dan Cronin, founder of Melbourne anti-youth violence group, Step Back Think (SBT); and 3LO 774 radio journalist Richelle Hunt. It was compered by national ABC radio host, social commentator and Salvo John Cleary.

Mr Doyle defended his city’s celebratory culture, but conceded that ‘at 3 am the city can take on a harder edge that’s much less pleasant’. Posing the scenario of early morning streets and ‘a young man with his 35th rum and coke in his hand’, the mayor asked, ‘How do we change that culture?’

Mr Cronin, who helped establish ‘Step, Back, Think (SBT),’ after his friend James Macready-Bryan was left with a severe brain injury after being assaulted in Melbourne’s CBD in 2006, called for a community-led change in culture from the premier, mayor and liquor licensing authorities all the way down to licensed businesses, bouncers and patrons.

‘There is an undeniable, violent culture in Melbourne [and] it is not acceptable,’ he said.

Young people in today’s cities, said Ms Hunt, are not empowered to pursue their dreams; consequently their ‘focus is on survival’.

 
 
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Noting that the dissatisfaction that led to assaults, confrontations and bloodshed often revolved around street kids and homeless people, she asked, ‘How would you treat a society that literally left you out in the cold?’

The present housing and health crises, she suggested, dictated the ‘prospects of future generations’ and she lauded the Salvos for asking the underlying questions, ‘Why is somebody carrying a knife?’ and ‘Why are they acting violently?’

Dr Carr-Gregg further challenged the audience by asking, ‘Are we seriously able to talk about knife violence without talking about alcohol—are we mad?’

Noting that the alcohol industry ‘spends $1 million a day advertising to young people’, he also stressed that ‘so many of my clients who are involved in street violence are "spiritual anorexics"…we need to talk about the negative "self talk" of young people.’

Major Nottle told Warcry that the increase in knife violence ‘is not the fault of any one particular group’. The major has called for an ‘all of community’ approach to an ‘all of community’ issue.

‘This is a cultural issue that’s going to take a generation to change,’ he said.

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  • It takes a Community to raise a child into adulthood & not just the parents....which is why other countries do not face these kinds of problem. However, saying that the Western culture has slowly started to erode away at the community lifestyle the other countries did used to have. So basically all I can say is that we are all responsible for being dictated on how to live & not thinking for ourselves & using common sense to look out for each other.
  • This is great news! I hope the meeting can make a difference and these personalities can help change this rising community issue.
  • Esteban 1 year ago
    Well done Brendan!
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