The Premier of Victoria has to talk tough now for political reasons, but it would be better if governments thought more carefully about the social aspects of their decisions. The facts about Saturday night’s strife in Melbourne aren’t yet clear so it’s unhelpful to speculate, but most would agree with the Premier that there is no excuse for gang violence. However, anti-social behaviour isn’t surprising when the means for integration are allegedly so under-resourced. It’s hard enough for English-speaking, Australian-born young people to stay out of trouble and gain a foothold in the workforce. For those coming from other cultures and ethnic groups torn apart by violence, it’s not hard to imagine how they might be influenced by the wrong kind of leadership.
It doesn’t look as though we get value for the huge cost of ‘security’ and ‘intelligence’ at state and federal levels. It would be naive to accept that the rampage on Saturday night was not planned and based on extensive communications known to many except, apparently, the authorities. Did the offenders travel en-mass by train? Were the Protective Services Officers asleep, watching the festivities or just minding their own (Metro) business? Might it be worth thinking about diverting some of the ‘security’ funding into working with communities under stress? At least to provide language training and opportunities to participate in sport and community work, for example. I hope the Premier’s “full force of the law” means that the offenders in this case will have a chance to become better citizens. I can hear the howls coming from those who think refugees and other minorities receive more than their share etc. But what is their solution? Vigilantism, more prisons, deportation, concentration camps, state-sanctioned violence?
Max Thomas