The boss of an outback Indigenous group which runs social programs for families and young people wants police and child protection workers to come down harder on parents of children who roam the streets at night committing crimes.
Leaders of the main Aboriginal organisations in Kununurra, the local shire, and its chamber of commerce have written a crisis letter to the Western Australian government with a list of urgent considerations around how youth crime was tackled in the community.
The letter follows crisis talks earlier this month over a spate of car thefts and attempted police car rammings.
Leaders also raised concern at the time over children as young as ten who regularly committed serious crimes while out on bail.
Last year in Kununurra there were almost 800 stealing and burglary-related offences, compared to 680 in Bunbury, a regional WA city with a population roughly ten times that of the East Kimberley hub.
Kununurra Waringarri Aboriginal Corporation runs a variety of programs in Kununurra to improve the lives of Indigenous children and families, and its CEO Des Hill signed the letter.
The Miriwoong man has held leadership positions across a variety of Indigenous organisations in the town and when contacted by the ABC he vented frustration in an email, arguing state government agencies kept "passing the buck" and "blame shifting".
"I signed the letter because enough is enough. All government departments that come into the region, and are funded to deal with issues, do so in a siloed manner, never holistically," he said.
Mr Hill said stronger action should be taken against parents whose children were committing serious crimes at night.
"Children being on the street at night into early morning … isn't that neglect? If [police] don't want to do that, refer to DCP [Department of Communities] to do something about it," he said.
"Children are afraid to go home because of the unsafe environment so we have repeatedly asked [Department of Communities] to enforce their powers.
"Their excuse — 'we don't want another Stolen Generation'. Come on. My mother was taken away, with many like her, but it wasn't due to neglect but the White Australia policy and the colour of their skin."
The ABC understands police in Kununurra typically refer the families of children involved in criminal activity to the Department of Communities, which oversees child welfare.
The letter from leaders raised concern that those referrals go to a team in Perth, which they claimed created delays when responding to concerns over child safety and neglect.
They called for a local alternative to be considered, but a state government spokesperson said the centralised, Perth-based system allowed for better decision-making.
"This is supported at a local level with a strong Department of Communities presence with teams based in Kununurra including the Child Safety Team, intensive family support, two care teams, and a Kimberley Joint Response Team," a spokesperson said.
WA Police did not respond to Mr Hill's comments.
'White elephant' hostel remains empty
The letter also renewed calls for a place for vulnerable children to sleep and be fed at night if their home was not safe.
Kununurra's family violence rates soar above other major centres in WA, according to police statistics.
Leaders have previously suggested repurposing a failed $12 million, 40-bed student hostel that remains empty on the outskirts of Kununurra.
Commonwealth non-for-profit Aboriginal Hostels Limited told the ABC that it was still consulting with local groups, but it did not provide a timeline for when the building could be used again.
Calls to broaden youth program
Kununurra's main native title group MG Corporation signed the letter and its general manager Matthew Smith called for an age-range expansion of its Target 120 program.
The program was a key part of the state government's response to high rates of youth offending across WA's north and works with children who commit crimes, and their families, to try to steer them towards education and ultimately employment.
"[The Target 120 program] currently only enables our team to work with 10 to 14-year-olds. We believe children outside this age range also need support and could also benefit from the program," Mr Smith said.
He said the letter represented a "unified step forward" and would help identify solutions.
"MG Corporation signed this letter because we have very serious concerns about the direction of some of our young people and we believe a collaborative approach is required," he said.
State highlights millions spent on youth crime
Member for Durack Melissa Price raised the letter in Commonwealth Parliament this week.
"I call on Premier Mark McGowan to listen to this community's cry. Please take this letter seriously and take action. Kununurra deserves nothing less," the Liberal MP said.
A state government spokesperson responded to Mr Hill's comments, and the letter, largely by detailing more than $65 million in funding for initiatives which support at-risk young people, tackle crime, and enhance community safety across regional WA.
"Government agencies in Kununurra meet regularly with local stakeholders to identify and prioritise locally-led, community-driven responses," a spokesperson said.
"This includes participation in the fortnightly group meetings in Kununurra which focus on youth offending and community safety."
The letter also called for more transparency regarding the effectiveness of the many state and Commonwealth-funded service providers which operate in the town primarily to run programs to address entrenched intergenerational social issues.
