Dear Editor,
This is an open letter to Australian Football League from Alice Springs Town Council councillor Steve Brown.
I am speaking for myself as a councillor of ASTC and the views expressed are not necessarily those of ASTC.
I am writing in response to the AFL’s threat to remove the upcoming game between Melbourne and GWS, which is an arrogant and contemptuous attempt to blackmail the ASTC to abandon its suspension of bush footy being played in town.
Right from the start the response from AFLNT has been an attempt to portray the suspension as a ‘racist action’ of a white community against a, poor, hard done by underclass of Aboriginal people from the bush.
You have been portraying the AFL as a shining light defending the underdog against the aggressor in your usual virtue signalling manner, while taking no, or very little responsibility for the social issues created by bush footy.
Attempts to paint the suspension as an issue of race are deliberately divisive, highlighting AFL’s irresponsible and disingenuous response to this issue, especially given that more than half the population of the community of Alice Springs’ is in fact Aboriginal.
And that ASTC represents their wishes, along with those of the entire community. We are in fact the largest population of Aboriginal people in this region by a long way.
And here it is important that we reference the Aboriginal portion of our population because AFL, no section of our community is more adversely affected by the influx of bush footy.
Right from the start of footy season, some locals, complying with cultural obligations are expected to house, feed, and put up with the overcrowding and endless partying of bush relations, who are often stuck in town for weeks at a time. This disrupts any attempts at normal family life, disrupts neighbourhoods, driving kids from their homes onto the streets, all of that spilling over and creating mayhem for the entire community.
Most importantly, along with that goes any chance of life altering education.
We are all very much aware of the destructive levels to which this cyclical behaviour has sunk. It is threatening lives, it is threatening the very viability of our community and it is destroying the future lives of thousands of Centralian children, presently not receiving a proper education, leaving them trapped in poverty and, on yeah football AFL style.
During your recent summit, AFL, many communities made it clear they didn’t want the footy at theirs because of the accompanying violence.
Yet all, including AFL, apparently think that it’s okay to inflict that on our community.
And now you are doubling down. Trying to bully, threaten, and now blackmail, without any intent to undertake necessary developmental actions that could lead the way out of the disaster, your undeniable neglect, has helped to create.
ASTC given all the above, wants to see a resolution, for our entire battered and demoralised community.
Hence the suspension. We simply cannot go on this way. It is time we took stock and came up with genuine, and determined measures to create better, happier communities where happy children of all colours have hope of a bright future.
That of course means investment into bush communities. Yes. Better grounds and competition played in the bush. But more importantly, working with those communities to end the associated violence and dislocation.
To bring about a better culture around sport, based around understanding and accepting that you can only play the game, if you respect and abide by the rules.
A culture that understands that when you go away, you represent your community, that you and your accompanying fans, must be on your best behaviour.
Most importantly a culture that understands the wider responsibility, and that the game is for fun. It does not overrule your life and the expectations and responsibilities around that. That means, children in school, and people at work are the first priority.
The response to the suspension, your response was a stakeholder summit from which AFL appeared to draw licence, without, I might add any commitment to change.
That you are now licensed to walk roughshod over the people of Alice Springs and force the reinstatement of bush footy against council’s wishes, signalling your intent to ignore ASTC refusal of access to our grounds.
In response ASTC has reaffirmed its position.
Following that up in a display of bloody-minded arrogance, you, are pretentiously portraying the AFL as the champion of the downtrodden, while in actuality, standing on the heads of the battered and bruised victims, has threatened to withdraw the upcoming mid-season game in a pathetic attempt to blackmail ASTC into submission.
This arrogance is made more ridiculous because those you think you are protecting, are by far and away the biggest attendees to that game.
I call on you, AFL to stand up and be the organisation you clearly think you should be, given all the signalling, and get firmly behind all the peoples of the centre with genuine investment and bring real foundational change to the lives of those they love to boast about supporting.
Let’s get real AFL.
Steve Brown, Alice Springs
If you want your letter to the editor published send it to ntindependent@protonmail.com. Please include your name, address and phone number for verification. We will only publish your name and suburb or town. We do reserve the right to edit the letter for length and clarity purposes. PRIVACY POLICY: You can find our privacy policy by clicking here.
Best decision ASTC have made for years, community football at the communities, not in town. Stick with this council. Get the AFL out bush to organise the games and see how they go, fair chance they will not last long.