Interview Highlights from Vision Australia RadioMinister Joel Bowden, AFL Champion for Richmond and now a Minister in the Northern Territory Government, chats with Peter Greco about NAIDOC week, football and First Australian achievements issues and challenges.
Well. I'm absolutely delighted and privileged to work with their program. AFL champions, footballer and now minister in the Northern Territory Minister Joel Bowden. Joel, if I may call you that. Thanks so much for your time.
Oh, pleasure. Peter, thanks for having me on.
What's it like going from AFL to being a politician and then indeed a minister?
Well, the transition is difficult. A lot of ex AFL footballers talk about that because the adrenaline rush and the dopamine hit you get from playing in front of 50,000 people at the MCG is very hard to replicate, and I've done my best to transition out of an AFL career that was 14 years long. I did extra study when I finished and then worked in a number of different areas, but in politics you actually get a little bit of that adrenaline rush. You have to deal with the media regularly. You have to make decisions regularly, and the only thing you don't have to do is be super fit and run around on the weekend to the point of exhaustion.
Okay, maybe, uh, some of the late night sittings might take it out of you, though.
Well, late night sittings do take it out of you. And a lack of sleep has always been detrimental to anyone's health. Um, but we're fortunate in the Northern Territory where I don't think I've sat beyond 1130. I don't think we got to 12 midnight up here, um, in my time in the parliament. So we're fortunate that sittings aren't too late. But sometimes they go, you know, 910, 11:00. Um, generally speaking, though, Peter, the fortunate position that I hold is that I live in Darwin, and it's only about 15 minutes drive from Parliament to home. So even when we finished late, it's not a long commute at all. In fact, I call it a two song commute and I'm home in bed within 20 minutes of Parliament ending for the day.
Well, I like that. A two song commute. I might use that some time. John, was there anything in particular that drove you to enter politics?
I've always been involved in the community, my family, my father Michael and mother Judith, my brothers before me because I've got three older brothers and an older foster brother have all been involved in the community. Some are teachers, some are lawyers, some are mechanics. Um, it's always been part of the Bowdoin family. We also grew up in a very Catholic family, um, school School teachers, football, cricket clubs. So we're always immersed in the community. And this is one way to serve the community that I think if you're happy to stand in front of a camera and public speaking is not a huge issue that that people should undertake, because it is the greatest community service possible to make legislation and change the way that a community operates in, in some small way. So I was always, always drawn to politics and I definitely enjoyed it. Something that I hope to do for a long time.
AFL is big across Australia, particularly in the Northern Territory. There's a profile like you, a profile like that gives you a chance to kind of, I don't know about, make things happen a bit better, but kind of a bit more gravitas, if I can put it that way.
Oh, Peter, it's an interesting it's an interesting question, right. Because in the Northern Territory we have such a wealth of AFL champions, legends, Hall of Famers that, you know, when I walk down the street or when I go to the the Marrara Stadium, there's not a great sense of, oh, you know, there's an AFL footballer because Cyril Rioli is, you know, walking around as well. And Shannon Motlop is there and Michael Long's sitting up in Cantillo's bar, or Andrew McLeod's down for the weekend. And Gilbert McAdam is actually helping out with some of the commentary. It is. There is just so many um, Long's role these modelops McLeod's in the Northern Territory that that about and sort of is a little a little bit passe in that in that sense. Um, however, it does help when it, when it comes to publicity. So, you know, when you're trying to get into politics, you need people to know your name. So the fact that the Bowden name has been, you know, somewhat well known in the Northern Territory for many decades now, helped, I think, getting me into the political sphere. I also like to think I've got some transferable skills from the from the cut and thrust of professional football that has come into the political sphere that I'm now in. Well, love.
Your modesty, John. We arrange to speak to you last week for this week for nay doc week. And of course, since then we've had the lockdown and Alice Springs. I know you're based in Darwin, but can you give us your reflections and thoughts about something like this? And I guess the impact it has on NAIDOC week? Yeah, it's.
A really tough one. And the police commissioner made a decision for the for the three day curfew in Alice Springs. And as you know, I grew up in Alice Springs. I travelled to Alice Springs regularly. My, my wife, uh, her family still resides in Alice Springs. And it has a it has a real soft spot in my heart. I, you know, I grew up in Alice Springs. The red dust runs through my veins. Um, and it is sad to see the place not doing as well as I would like it to do. And the Chief Minister and I were out today talking about tourism. We're trying to get more air crafts and lower prices for air tickets into Alice Springs so that more people can go and see the great place that Alice Springs is. And we really need the opportunity moving forward to make Alice Springs the best it can possibly be. Now there's got to be a bit of personal responsibility there where, you know, people stop talking the place down. But collectively, as a community, we've got to put things in place that make Alice Springs just a fabulous place, because we know that tourism is really big in Alice Springs, and it attracts hundreds of thousands of people. Of course, Uluru, um, is within the vicinity of Alice Springs, and lots of people flock to Uluru and then head on to Alice Springs. So we need to make Alice Springs welcoming. We need to get the family fights off the streets, and we need to get rid of the family fighting. And it does put a damper on what is a fabulous week in NAIDOC week, which celebrates indigenous culture, indigenous community. And I note, you know, that the cats craze this year is keep the fire burning, and we need to keep the fire burning to make sure that indigenous culture is celebrated and and not seen in a negative light. And that's for all of us to, to to take a little bit of responsibility for, um, and collectively make sure that Alice Springs is as good as it can possibly be.
The media's got to take responsibility. I mean, they can't sugarcoat things, but by the same token, you know, they we the media can beat things up a bit. I mean, there's got to be a bit of kind of, uh, a bit of equilibrium about the way it's reported.
Yeah. Look, the advent in 2009 of the iPhone meant that everyone now has a camera in their pocket, and that that also is magnified and multiplied by the fact that we've got a number of social media platforms that you can post things on nowadays. So, you know, in times gone by, there may have been an issue, um, in any, in any town or city in, in Australia or anywhere that goes unreported or unknown, But more and more, the media are alerted to incidents of bad behaviour and they can be, um, sent vision, they can be sent pictures and that means that there's more exposure and it does hurt long term with brand reputation and certainly, um, recognition of of things that aren't so good, you know, a massive family fight, you know, near the council house in Alice Springs went national and caused irreparable brand damage for Alice Springs and Central Australia.
But then again, you know, if you turn on the news, some of the domestic violence stories in other parts of Australia, I mean, like, you know, it's not a sort of isolated or just quarantined Alice Springs.
No, no, it's not, it's not. But we we do see it more and more, um, coming to light from Alice Springs, there was even another fight just yesterday, and I think five people were arrested. And we just have to stop fighting for one. And Charlie King has done a huge amount of work in that domestic violence space with the No More campaign. So stop fighting violence, stop family violence and domestic violence because it is just a scourge on our community and our and and our our way of life. It just it hurts so many individuals and so many families and we just have to stop fighting. We have to stop family fighting, and we have to stop domestic violence.
The great message, Joel. Uh, those sports had nuts of us. Uh, we kind of think that sport can almost be, uh, a reparation to everything. What about something like an AFL team in the Northern Territory? Could that kind of go away to. I don't know, maybe, you know, give it another sort of purpose or sort of, uh, be something that might help in situations like this.
Yeah, but I'm pretty strong. On believing that sport is a great binder of communities. As I said earlier, you know, we come from a Catholic family, grew up, you know, at church, at the footy club, the cricket club, meeting people, uh, realizing our potential, building life skills, resilience, coping skills, learning to win, also learning to lose. You know, I played at Richmond through not a great era. So I certainly learned how to lose in that sense and look into the future. That's a big piece of work that's being done at the moment. And my brother Sean, um, is leading a task force that's writing a report around whether or not we can have an AFL team in the Northern Territory. And we're watching Tasmania closely. They've just got a licence for 2028, so we're going to watch and learn from them. And then you never know in the next how, I don't know, 10 or 20 years we might be able to put a bid forward so that we can have our own Northern Territory team.
I reckon it'd be a success. And I think the, uh, the southern states would love it too. The, uh, you know, as he's talked about some of the footballers that have come out of the NC, they play an exciting brand of footy, wouldn't they? It'd be a good television spot. It is turning up to the game.
That's right. And it is an exciting brand of footy. And just think about Cyril Rioli and Michael Long or Andrew McLeod, the style of footy that they played. Shannon Motlop, you know, Steven Motlop, all the motlop, all the longs, all the really. So imagine if you could have 5 or 6 really long Motlop McLeod, Buckley in one team and playing in the Northern Territory where it's our winter at the moment and it's about 31 degrees outside. Peter. So anyone who came to the Northern Territory from, from anywhere in Australia would certainly have to deal with the heat. They'd they'd also have to deal with the exquisite skills of the territory team. And I reckon a NT team play at home would be a nine times out of ten victor.
Maybe even 99 out of 100. John, I don't get a chance to speak to our fellow champions very often, so if you can indulge me while I indulge you for a second, how fondly do you look back on your time at Richmond? Winner of a Jack Dyer Medal, which is the the best and fairest a famous name at Richmond? Do you reflect much on your career? Oh, I.
Do from time to time, Peter. And, you know, I won a Jack Dyer Medal when, um, we weren't going great. I then actually won a back to back Jack Dyer Medal. So I won two in a row, which I was really, really proud of. I was also all Australian, uh, a couple of years as well. So I look back fondly on it. I played 265 games, which is a lot. Um, at the time I didn't realise, you know, that I was playing so many games and I'd been there so long, but but on reflection, it was it was one of the most enjoyable 14 years of my life. You know, I went there when I was 17 years old and just a boy. I left when I was 31 with two children and an experience in a professional sporting organization in Melbourne with one of the big Melbourne clubs. And it was just just amazing. And the experience I had on the field and off the field, the people that I met, um, the places that we traveled, you know, when we went to London and played a game of football against Essendon on The Oval back in 2001, I think it was or 2000. You know, those opportunities were just incredible and I really, really enjoyed it. I wish I was 23 again and was still running around on the MCG, but that's that's not to be. But I do look back very, very fondly on my time there. And I thank all, all those people who looked after me when I was at the football club because, as I said, I went there as a young, young fella. I left hopefully as a man, but there were so many people who looked after me along the way. And it's it's what football clubs do. They they look after young men and now more and more young women and they grow the capabilities of those people. And, you know, the good thing is now I get to pass that on. I'm coaching the under 18 girls team up here with the Nightcliff Football Club in Darwin. I'm imparting some of my knowledge to them and and hoping that in time that'll get passed on again. So it is absolutely something I reflect on. I love doing and I'm hoping to continue doing it for many years as a coach and as an administrator and a volunteer. Now, just.
The last one in a week, the role that our indigenous brothers and sisters are playing as As far as AFL goes. I mean, I know occasionally you get, uh, some, uh, you know, not not so nice people that, uh, abuse. But I mean, they're so loved by by everyone, I mean, because they're so good and because of their character.
Absolutely. And Aboriginal players, indigenous Torres Strait Islander players bring such an amazing set of skills. And I grew up in Alice Springs playing footy with Aboriginal players. You know, I wanted to emulate the skills and the tricks that they had. And, you know, some of those guys have been great enough to bring it to the MCG and show Maurice Rioli back in the 80s. Um, Michael Long in the 90s, Cyril Rioli, Andrew McLeod. As I said, all these great names have displayed these exquisite skills and now Willie Rowley is doing it as well. Eddie Betts, did you know these these young men who do leave home. And sometimes it's really hard and they get homesick, but they go out on the MCG and they just show Australia how amazing they are and how talented they are. I just love it. And and I punch the air every time I see a territory. Kid doing well on the AFL, on the AFL stage and even any indigenous kids who make it in the AFL. I think it's just one of the best things ever, because it isn't our indigenous game and the indigenous players of Australia are sometimes the greatest exponents of our great game.
Joel, it's been a privilege. Thanks for speaking to us.
Oh absolute pleasure and happy night of the week to everybody. There we.
Go. That's the, uh, former well, former AFL champion, always the champion, I think, and currently minister in the Northern Territory. What a great, uh, fun chat that was.
