Residents of the aboriginal crime-ravaged New South Wales town of Moree are shattered after a group of indigenous children allegedly set a beloved playground on fire.
Moree Rocket Park is a local landmark, and the 15metre-tall play structure was rebuilt in 2009 at a cost of $220,000 after the original rocket constructed in 1972 was deemed unsafe. It was voted one of the top ten parks to visit in the state the year it was reopened.
But the iconic rocket went up in flames on Wednesday afternoon, and locals said children aged as between six and eight years old were witnessed running from the scene.
The fire caused sadness and outrage in the community, with hundreds of upset residents venting in their anger in a crime watch group online.
Many said Moree was becoming like Alice Springs, which was last year ranked the 18th most dangerous city in the world due to rampant aboriginal crime, while others mourned the loss of a local landmark that had been enjoyed by multiple generations of children.
“Oh no, what is happening to this beautiful town. This is a generation of young children that have enjoyed. Family picnics, weddings and been the heart of Moree. No words for this horrible situation,” said one person.
“The people need to stand up and save our town because there won’t be any thing left if the kids keep getting away with this,” said another.
“Get used to it… it’s never going to change. Alice Springs has been begging for help for years, throw some money at them, and it hasn’t changed, Moree got 14 mill a couple of years ago and still it’s getting worse… this is the new normal.. get used to it, suck it up or fight back,” another popular comment said.
“Alice Springs 2.0,” said another.
Several comments from witnesses identified the children responsible as aboriginal, while others wrote “welcome to country”. The crime watch group administrator later confirmed suspects had been tracked down by police.
Moree residents held a public rally on crime earlier this year after an innocent motorcyclist was allegedly struck and killed by three teenage males in a stolen ute in February.
The town has a population of just 7,845, 60.2% of whom are non-indigenous, and one of the highest crime rates in the state.
According to the most recent NSW crime statistics, the Moree Plains local government area is the worst in NSW for robbery, theft and disorderly conduct, the second worst for assault, drug offences and malicious damage, and the fourth worst for sex offences.
The Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research does not break down offences by aboriginality, but it does provide that information as part of its statistics on people in custody.
As of September 2024, 59.8% of youths in custody in NSW were aboriginal despite being just 6.2% of the population.
Aboriginals made up 31.8% of adult prisoners – the highest proportion on record – although they are only 3.4% of the population, meaning 1 in 27 aboriginal men and 1 in 280 aboriginal women in NSW are currently incarcerated.
