Feeling unsafe at night

Residents put Cairns bottom of the nation

A NEW online comparison tool launched by the Federal Government reveals Cairns residents feel less safe at night than residents of any other Australian city.

The National Cities Performance Framework Dashboard goes live today, collating data about the country’s 21 cities with populations exceeding 80,000.

Created to help all levels of government, industry and

Makeover day a hit at Farnorha

communities formulate better policies, it reveals alarming statistics about the Far North.

Only 35.7 per cent of Cairns adults feel safe walking in their neighbourhood after dark, compared with a 53.1 per cent national average.

Townsville scores secondworst with 37.8 per cent, while the Sunshine Coast’s 60.6 per cent is the highest perceived personal safety level.

Amanda Allan, who established the Manunda Neighbourhood Watch last month, was surprised by the figures.

“As a neighbourhood watch, we’ve got a challenge to try and change that,” she said.

“That’s what we will be working on in the new year.”

Ms Allan said crime existed everywhere, but she had personal experience of feeling under siege in her own home.

“I know I didn’t feel safe when I had druggies in my street,” she said. “Everyone was scared to step out of their front door, but that was very situational.”

Cairns has the second-highest suicide rate and scored fourth-worst for residents’ ability to access crisis support.

Rugby union legend Mat Rogers, who lost his father to suicide in 2006, spoke on the matter in Cairns yesterday.

“Beating your chest saying, ‘speak to someone’ is one thing, but when someone’s depressed, they’re not speaking to anyone,” he said.

“It’s up to people who aren’t depressed and aren’t going through those mental health issues to understand what it means to be depressed.”

There were positives among the statistics as well. Cairns has among the highest rates of work commutes made by “active transport” on foot or bicycle — 5.3 per cent.

“Consideration of multiple indicators in the performance framework can provide richer insights and help users to better understand the context behind a city’s performance,” the Government stated.

To use the tool, visit smart -cities.dashboard.gov.au.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

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