By Ann Marie Angebrandt
WYNDHAM Mayor Shane Bourke said the dozens of radio, TV and newspaper interviews he gave last week were aimed at “helping the community grieve and heal”.
Since the story of the shocking DVD was aired on 23 October, Cr Bourke has concentrated on transmitting a message that the city council will do everything possible to ensure a repeat incident never occurs in Wyndham again.
“This has caused the most atrocious harm on our families and our community, and we now need to show leadership,” he said.
A priority will be to fix up the graffiti-swept rear of Watton St shops and restaurants near the Werribee River, a well known haven for drug users and the homeless.
The area is where a gang of teenage thugs is alleged to have filmed and sexually assaulted a 17-year-old girl.
“That spot is long overdue for a clean-up and we have to change it,” Cr Bourke said.
Werribee Police and the council have identified about eight other “crime hotspots” they want to fix up, he said.
The council is also considering beefing up local by-laws to give the police more powers over such activities as public drinking and graffiti, Cr Bourke said.
A community summit has been planned for mid-November to bring together leaders of the community, schools, social services and business.
“We’ll have a morning workshop to see what kind of innovative ideas we can come up with,” he said.
Cr Bourke said he did not want any other Australian city to experience the same suffering as Wyndham.
“This is not just a parent problem, a police problem, or a kid problem,” he said.
“This is something that the whole of Australia can learn from.”
