$800k for mediation in Tennant Creek unspent prior to fatal unrest

Tennant Creek is mourning the loss of a 21-year-old man who died in a brutal stabbing early Friday, June 12. Northern Territory Police reported that a substantial crowd witnessed the attack, and a 17-year-old has since been charged with murder.

Authorities are investigating potential links between the stabbing and a riot that occurred days earlier in a nearby town camp. That incident allegedly involved up to 100 people armed with various weapons and is believed to be connected to an ongoing feud between families, exacerbated by fatal vehicle crashes in the region over the past two years.

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It's an absolute tragedy … there's a lot of trauma in our community. There's angst, people are anxious.

The close-knit community has been left shaken by the events. Barkly Regional Council mayor Sid Vashist described the situation as "an absolute tragedy" and noted the "trauma" and "angst" within the community. In response to the death, local businesses closed their bottle shops for the weekend, football matches were canceled, and police presence was increased.

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Things have been rather quiet and it's a healing process for the families. There is a lot of underlying issues that we need to, as a whole-of-community approach, work together, and that is happening.

"Things have been rather quiet and it's a healing process for the families," Vashist said, emphasizing the need for a "whole-of-community approach" to address underlying issues. Member for Barkly and NT Aboriginal Affairs Minister Steve Edgington highlighted the importance of mediation between families, facilitated by the Community Justice Centre, as crucial for moving forward.

Ongoing community mediation is part of the $78.4 million Barkly Regional Deal (BRD), a 10-year agreement between all levels of government. The deal was established in 2019 following a visit by then-prime minister Malcolm Turnbull. However, the team managing the deal confirmed that $800,000 allocated for mediation remained unspent prior to the fatal unrest, raising questions about the effectiveness and implementation of support services.

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The violence resulting in a young person losing their life is of great concern to me as the local member, but also the whole of community. To move forward, we really need to be working with the families to ensure that mediation occurs through the Community Justice Centre.