THE recent spate of arson attacks in Ashmont has ignited a blaze of fury among residents of the troubled suburb and provoked a predictable chorus of blame from many Wagga residents.
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They blame the bleeding-heart magistrates, the deadbeat parents, the drug scourge, the Young Offenders Act, even US rap music.
But such incendiary judgements do little to address the root cause of antisocial behaviour.
These crimes, committed in large part by children from disadvantaged backgrounds, are caused by a complex matrix of issues and will not be eradicated simply by being tougher on offenders.
Many come from families where alcohol abuse and violence render a normal home life and education impossible.
These are children demonised and disenfranchised by wider society, born into hopelessness and with not a role model in sight.
The juvenile justice system, already haemorrhaging under the sheer weight of numbers, can’t be expected to solve the root cause of crime. It can only be tackled by ending welfare dependency, better protecting children from dangerous homes and encouraging education and employment.
Our current attitude of “lock them all up” or “give them a good flogging” makes breaking the cycle even harder.
Unless we act collectively and with a moral conscience, the good residents of Wagga will continue to be victimised and the tragic waste of young lives will continue.
