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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-03-09 Daily Xml
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YOUTH VIOLENCE

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS (16:55): I move:

That this council—

1. Expresses its concern at the recent number of unprovoked violent attacks in South Australia;

2. Congratulates organisations such as the Sammy D. Foundation for proactively seeking to discourage youth violence by empowering young people to make safe and positive life choices; and

3. Urges the Rann government to implement a public awareness campaign targeting all forms of youth violence modelled on the One Punch Can Kill or Step Back Think campaigns operating in Queensland and Victoria.

On 17 November 2009, I asked the then minister for state/local government relations, representing the Minister for Substance Abuse, whether the Rann government would consider funding a public awareness campaign to combat the rise in youth violence. I asked the government to consider this action after reading the research of Professor Paul Mazerolle, Director of Griffith University's Centre of Ethics, Law, Justice and Governance, into youth violence.

Professor Mazerolle's study looked at youth violence in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia. The study found that violent crimes such as homicide, assaults, sexual offences, robbery and extortion by offenders aged 10 to 19 had increased from 17,944 in 1996-97 to 23,382 in 2005-06. The proportion of violent young offenders who are female rose from 23 per cent to 26 per cent and, alarmingly, it rose even sharper for females aged 10 to 14, where the corresponding percentage increased from 30 to 37 per cent.

Professor Mazerolle concluded that the impact of websites such as Facebook and YouTube was generating competition and encouraging young offenders to look at ways of 'gaining status'. He said:

Young people want to demonstrate superiority and toughness. That's why we've seen a proliferation of things like videotaping of violent confrontations.

Around the time of reading this report, I also heard about the 'One Punch Can Kill' public awareness campaign in Queensland and the 'Step Back. Think' initiative in Victoria; both had been established and funded by state Labor governments. Both of these programs won the praise of former prime minister, the Hon. Kevin Rudd, who used their success to launch and partly fund the AFL Players Association's 'Just Think' campaign for the 2009 September AFL finals series. The 'One Punch Can Kill' campaign continues to receive support from the Bligh government in Queensland, and that campaign has been funded to $1.7 million in total.

The most recent instalment in April last year was $700,000. In the first two years of the program in that state, the website received more than 130,000 visits since going live, and more than 20,000 posters, 80,000 coasters, 50,000 wristbands and 50,000 button badges have been distributed statewide. The campaign has since evolved on the internet with a much stronger pictorial message and has included social media and cinema advertising as well. In the middle of last year, while I was in Brisbane, I had the opportunity to meet with officers of the Queensland police service, as well as officers of the minister's agency.

They were very pleased to present to me a very comprehensive summary of the way in which the program had worked and the way in which people who had been affected by losing family members to violence had become involved (in many cases, in a voluntary capacity) in spreading the message around Queensland and particularly in Far North Queensland. They were intrigued to have a member of the Liberal opposition from South Australia come to see them about it, because the government in this state had apparently shown no interest.

In response to the referred question in this house in November 2009, the Hon. Jane Lomax-Smith in her then-capacity answered to the effect that the Rann government would consider three campaigns as models for a future campaign. When I followed this up with the Hon. John Hill in his capacity as the new substance abuse minister in 2010, he committed the Rann government to the 'Drink too much, it gets ugly' campaign,' which 'aims to reduce public acceptance of drunkenness because of its serious consequences, such as violence'.

Not only do I think that the 'Drink too much, it gets ugly' campaign has failed to make an impact on public intoxication and drunken violence but groups such as the Sammy D Foundation are critical of it because it only focuses on one form of violence. The Sammy D Foundation was established by Nat Cook and Neil Davis after the death of their 17-year-old son, Sam Davis, who was king-hit at a house party in 2008. This foundation, which has recently gained tax deductibility status, is doing great work in this area in the memory of their son. They have a powerful story which resonates in their low budget, 30-second ad on YouTube, using Flinders University students as actors, and sends a much more powerful message than the government's chosen campaign.

I should add that I think it is such an admirable thing that Nat Cook and Neil Davis are doing, in a voluntary capacity, leading that foundation. Most of us just cannot imagine what it would be like to lose a child in the circumstances in which they lost their 17-year-old son. Some people would go into their shell, but these people have decided that they want to do everything they can to prevent other people from experiencing what they have experienced, and it is a great credit to them.

Whilst alcohol is a major factor in violence, it is not the only factor. A case in point is the Craigmore High School student, Marcus Abraham, who suffers from Asperger's Syndrome and who was allegedly assaulted on 4 and 7 February this year in school bullying incidents. The vision of the second assault was posted on YouTube and Facebook for others to see. We must be proactive in sending a message that violence like this is not okay in any form.

We all know the way in which modern social media works and the way in which images and messages about people can be put about so quickly. I think we were all alarmed that such a physical bullying episode could be put onto those avenues of social media and distributed far and wide. It is quite frightening, and it is something that worries me. My children are relatively grown up compared with many, but it does concern me that a lot of young people are using a very physical form of bullying that is then put around into the social media so quickly.

I seek the support of members for this motion, particularly in urging the current government to implement a public awareness campaign targeting all forms of youth violence, modelled on the 'One Punch Can Kill' or 'Step Back. Think' campaigns that have operated successfully in Queensland and Victoria. I would appreciate all members' consideration of that. In conclusion, all I can say is that one punch can actually kill.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. J.M. Gazzola.

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