A decade after Kalgoorlie riot, promised youth services remain unrealized
Ten years after a 2016 protest sparked by a teen's death, Indigenous leaders say Kalgoorlie still lacks dedicated youth facilities.
The August 30, 2016 demonstration in Kalgoorlie’s main street followed the death of 14-year-old Elijah Doughty and resulted in a summit that highlighted eight reform areas, with youth services ranked first. Commitments included reopening the Department of Indigenous Affairs office, a $660,000 federal boost to the Goldfields Land and Sea Council ranger program, and funding for the Police and Community Youth Centre’s safeSPACE initiative.
Yet former youth-justice worker Bill Ring and Eastern Goldfields First Nations Council vice-chair Leanne Eriksen say promised drop-in centres and culturally-focused hubs never launched, leaving Indigenous youth without dedicated support. The City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder says it is testing less-intensive engagement models, while Premier Roger Cook acknowledges the need for services but offers no clear plan. Alternative programs in nearby Leonora and Aboriginal-run night spaces elsewhere in the state are cited as examples of what Kalgoorlie could adopt.
Why it matters
Ongoing gaps in youth services risk perpetuating social disadvantage and unrest in Kalgoorlie’s Indigenous community.
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