GRAB BYTES – APRIL 2024

CDU prioritising International students

While this may be an excellent initiative, consider our own (domestic) students who often have a hard time gaining part-time employment to help offset their HECS costs.  Initiatives in both education/training and employment opportunities that promote international students over locals are shortsighted and disappointing.

 

Analysing the Royals

How wonderful it is to have hundreds of experts studying the body language, poise, facial expressions, gaits when walking, and the revealing traits of royal personages when they wave to crowds. The Royals must feel chuffed about all this attention.

Borooloola Evacuation

P

The cyclone-generated displacement experienced by those in the Borroloola area must be hard to bear. Through all this, our authorities deserve massive appreciation for handling what could have been a dire situation. 

Massive election interest

The 2024 election on August 24 is 144 days away (2/4/2024). With the fervour and interest the election is already generating, that time will pass quickly. Both major parties are presenting candidates with proven track records in their various occupational fields. Voters are going to have a hard time in choosing between ‘better’ and ‘best’.

Expenditure priorities in times of scarcity

When facing cost of living pressures, people would be wise to assess expenditure priorities. With accommodation costs at astronomic levels and food costs rising, cutting back on costs associated with social and recreational pursuits seems a common sense choice. Given Australia’s economic circumstances, I am amazed that expenditures on alcohol, sports venue attendance, gambling, and food delivery to homes by Uber (adding hugely to costs) have not been trimmed.

Solar farms sitting idle

P

This fiasco situation results from the ‘cart before the horse’ organisation and strategy. Common sense dictates that before solar farms are built, that provision is in place for the electricity generated to be input into the grid in a seamless way that adds to capacity and supply. But no! Build the solar farms, then muddle around to try and determine how their output can be used. What a schemozzle.

Lee Point development on again

It seems that the Lee Point issue is all over, bar the shouting. Development of housing infrastructure will prevail. Much of the land cleared before the injunction has sprouted forth with new vegetation, so clearing must be done again. We live within a couple of kilometres of this area as the crow flies. Birds displaced by previous clearing and building action now try populating in this area as never before. It seems this displacement is about to be once more accelerated.

MacDonalds to exit Katherine

Yet another business, an essential food outlet in Katherine, is going down the gurgler. Fewer and fewer business facilities are supporting more and more towns in the Territory. Mortgage sale aside, I would vouchsafe that the motivation for selling may have been stimulated by the horrendous level of crime deluging the town. 

Don Dale Rooftop Saga

Yet another rooftop escapade and a fire elevate the dangers of this incident. The damage done by way of arson to the detention centre and to Holtze Prison over the past several years, runs to the tens of millions of dollars. It seems that every facet of life in the NT is focused on and governed by criminal activities and their discouraging aftermath.

Is the King coming?

How wonderful it will be if our King can visit his most loyal country in October. I hope the trip goes ahead, as I would love the opportunity to see our King and Queen Camilla. I remember well as a seven-year-old joining the throng to wave to our then Queen Elizabeth 11 and Prince Phillip on the road past Kings Park in Perth. That was in 1953. I would love for that childhood experience to be reduplicated in my old age.

Your choice – keep sinning or get good

“Must agree to be voluntarily bailed to Saltbush” … is another weakness in the present system.  Too much of the ‘must assent’ or ‘must agree’ enables those perpetrating upset and crime on people and property to choose if they want support or prefer to keep on rambling and committing acts of crime. It is high time authorities dealt firmly with these matters rather than kowtowing to offenders with foolish choice options.

Safety Division to be housed at Nightcliff Police Station

P

The Safety Division is likely to have its hands full in dealing with issues just across the road in the old Nightcliff Shopping Centre. At least officers will not have so far to go before quelling the unrest.

Alcohol rehabilitation should be compulsory

Making rehabilitation treatment for alcohol addicts – whose lives and those of their families are being devastated by alcohol – optional is the height of stupidity. Treatment should be compulsory, and the person with an addiction should be required to stay the course. Following treatment, those completing the programs should be barred from further imbibing for at least twelve months.  Alcohol is sending the Territory to hell in a handcart.

Curfew in Alice Springs

P

The curfew was needed, and the curfew is working. What happens when the curfew is lifted is anyone’s business. For mine, I’d have the curfew permanently in place and extended to both Katherine and Tennant Creek. It also seems that Darwin and Palmerston are edging ever closer to needing restricted movement for youthful offenders.  What IS required and will NEVER happen is parents being held accountable for the actions of their children. PARENTAL NEGLECT is at the crux of the matter

Addressing crime made difficult

This brings to mind a story I was told about one of the more recent NT Police Association conferences when the issues associated with crime were being discussed. It was suggested to me that one quite senior person said  (and I paraphrase), “How can we discuss the issues of crime, when we are not allowed to talk about the identity of those responsible for (a great deal of) the crime?” (Bracket mine). When the source of criminal behaviour is off the table, how can the issue be adequately addressed?

Alice Springs shopping centre development

If only Alice Springs could be portrayed as a safe destination for tourists and visitors, this development could help remake the city.  The aversion people feel about their situation and welfare is destabilising the future of Alice. The place has been reputationally sinking for a long time, and a reversal of perceptions is desperately needed.

Alice Springs beyond the curfew?

P

There is no ‘stilling’ of crime in Alice Springs. The curfew has reduced criminal intensity and given the CBD a break from being the nighttime playground of disaster it had become. When the curfew comes off, there will, in all probability, be a quick return to the way the CBD was before the lockout.

Broomping through Darwin on May 4

P

What a fantastic spectacle this incredible event will provide. Darwin’s streets will come alive with the vibrance and enthusiasm of participants, generating a joyous and celebratory atmosphere. This extravaganza will be an event not to be missed and, without a doubt, will draw many people to Darwin and the Top End for the occasion.

Attorney General Bias

Give over Attorney General. It’s time you thought about the WHOLE NT population rather than preferring one group over everyone else. We do not need divisions within our community with special treament being given to one group over everyone else. This will do nothing other than divide rather than working to unite us.

Don’t dump gas say the community

P

Common sense has prevailed and the Territory has spoken. Gas is a critically important fuel and has to be an ongoing part of our future for years to come. Far too many left-leaning policies, leading us toward an uncertain future, are prevailing. Surely, you don’t dump an energy source before there is an alternative – maybe carbon neutral – to replace what is being discarded.

SANTOS issues

Incalculable harm to SANTOS and our economic future by the EDO’s trivial pursuit of the company has been heaped upon the Territory because of excessive and delaying legal actions. It is absolutely beyond comprehension that the laying of underground cabling many kilometres offshore would in any way defile the past heritage of Indigenous Australians. It is time to get real and make rational developmental decisions about heritage issues.

Candidates and the upcoming election

P

I am in awe at the quality of candidates being chosen to stand for the Legislative Assembly for both Labor and the CLP in the upcoming election. While August 24 – election day – is still 135 days away, Territorians are already being appealed to by elected members and parliamentary hopefuls of outstanding calibre. As a senior citizen, I can be assured of excellent ongoing governance by those forming the government after the election.

Health vacancies in remote communities

P

It’s time to wise up on this issue. Staff shortages and the growing number of vacancies result from those providing health services fleeing communities because of behaviour directed toward them and their property. Increasingly, the right of staff to private life and their entitlement to feel secure at work and in their homes is being eroded by the treatment they have to endure at the hands of those within communities hellbent on making their lives a misery.  With the passing of years, remote appointments are becoming increasingly untenable.

Federal Government interfering with the NT

The interferences we have had in the NT because of Australian Government impositions are legion. I go back to 1997 when the Kevin Andrews/Tony Burke-sponsored bill saw the NT Right to Die legislation overturned. There have been many instances since of federal government interference, most of the shoe-horning damaging to the Territory. It is time the feds stopped treating the NT as a plaything.

Alcohol costs in NT

P

Alcohol administration The amount spent on bottle shop surveillance by PALIs and Police, both in Alice Springs and around the Territory, must come to an eye-watering total. And all to protect people from themselves and from causing harm to others, both family members and the wider community. I wish the costs of policing alcohol use in the NT were made public because it must be pretty mind-boggling. The total costs associated with alcohol in the NT, taking account of supply and behavioural consequences, must make it one of the most expensive items requiring government budgeting.

Middle Arm Senate Hearing

P

How ironic that a significant Senate Committee of Inquiry on a matter of extreme economic importance to the NT should send a left-wing contingent of members to hear the stakeholders’ viewpoints when their minds are already made up. They have little knowledge of the NT and are disinclined to accept any point of view that is not congruent with their own. What should have been a vital hearing was reduced to parody and farce.

Age can be a burden

P

As a person now aged 78, I cringe at the thought of physical or mental incapacity requiring me to go into aged care in a residential facility. I have read too many chilling accounts of what can and often does go wrong. The Royal Commission into Aged Care was a real eye-opener for me. Should I decline to become dependent on others, particularly in an institutionalised situation, and having lived what I hope has been a complete and fruitful life, I want to be able to opt-out. That is why entitlement to Voluntary Assisted Dying is so essential. The alternatives are not at all palatable.

Passenger ship involved in sea recsue

P

We should rejoice that this ship was able to help save someone from dire danger in the ocean. This was the captain and crew responding to a major priority. May be some loss of revenue for CBD traders because of the ship’s fewer hours in port – however, with 103 vessels destined to stop in Darwin during the current cruising season, traders should be able to make up a small trading shortfall.

Alice Springs curfew to be lifted

Tonight (Monday, April 15) will be the last night of the Alice Springs CBD curfew. While nighttime behaviour within the CBD has been relatively calm for the past three weeks, one can wonder what may be in store for the mall and surrounding area once the curfew is lifted. Sadly, while the curfew has worked for those with businesses and residences in Central Alice, the surrounding suburbs and industrial hubs have not been spared. Where to from here, I ponder.

The Sussex’s after polo

What a beautiful story of the eternal and unrequited bond of existential love that binds the hearts of these two soulmates together.  I am uplifted by the peace, harmony, tranquillity and inner strength the Sussexes demonstrate and indeed ‘live’ every day.

Supporting tourism

Money being spent to subsidise the tourism industry is not allocated for the betterment of resident territorians. Our territory is lacking in terms of consolidation, development and maintenance of existing infrastructure and facilities.  Subsidising visitors, inducing them to come, and airlines with aviation assistance is somewhat temporary: As soon as the subsidies are gone, the airlines pull back, and tourist numbers dry up.

John. and Nicole Martins – selling their Pizza Shop

P

You have been absolutely brilliant in terms of the restauranter service you havwe provided along with the quality of your food fo so many years. Thank you from a pizza lover for the great good and the tens of thousands of pizzas looked forward to and enjoyed by so many customers over ther years. People like yourselves are the backbone of our Territory.

Quad bike hit and run

This incident borders on the ghoulish.  It’s not only in the rural area but also in the suburbs of Darwin and Palmerston that motorbike riders and quad bike operators feel quite at liberty to ride on pedestrian walkways, in our parks, on ovals and other public places. The more noise they can make and the more dust they cab kick up, the happier they are. Strict enforcement of road use and safety protocols is long overdue.

Security dog bites customer  in Casuarina Centre carpark

P

I am sorry that the security dog bit Mr Dixon and glad that his injuries were not more severe. This incident underpins how unsafe and insecure the Casuarina Shopping Complex has become. Needing guard dogs to supplement security – and not forgetting there is now a police presence in the centre – shows the level of deterioration in the behaviours of those who make visiting the centre a challenge and a nightmare. Theft, assault, and intimidatory behaviours directed at users are the new norm for a centre that was once peaceful, customer/community focussed and inviting. Sadly, that has all gone.

No pill testing at Bassinthegrass

So,  “Pill testing is the last line of defence available to deter young people from potentially harming themselves”? Sorry, that attitude is reminiscent of ‘closing the stable door after the horse has bolted’. The pill-taking culture that has entrenched and ingrained itself within society is the problem. So, too, is the notion that happiness and celebration can only happen with the aid of social drugs. The only sensible option is abstention from drug-taking and pill-popping. 

Racism within the NT Police Force

Many tasks confront our Police Commissioner Michael Murphy, everything from building and sustaining increased police numbers to overseeing internal investigations on behavioural management. He is, in my opinion, the right man for the job and, since being appointed to the role, has been an enabler, turning those within the force in a more focused and positive direction. He is a man of his word and will deal with internal and external issues currently engaging community attention. It takes time to fix problems and revelations, many of which are historical awarenesses now being brought to light.

Bundilla Beach will look good

Bundilla Beach, thanks to the vision of our Mayor and Councillors – and informed by public submissions – will become an area of topographic beauty and relaxation. The serenity of this area will be enhanced by improvements and development undertaken. Things done to strengthen the appeal of our environment should be appreciated by us all.

Don Dale and the centre’s migratory nature

The Don Dale facility has been nothing if not ‘migratory’. It was located in what is now the Red Cross Shop in Patterson Street, Malak. Then came the shift to the DD Detention Centre in Tivendale Road, Berrimah. Next came the move to a wing of the Berrimah Correction Centre after the Darwin Correctional Centre at Holtze was opened. Finally, the DD facility will be moved to its new location in Holtze. While the DD locations have been moved around, the one thing that has NOT lessened – but rather grown and escalated – is youth crime.

St. John Ambulance – review not necessary

I have nothing but admiration and respect for our St John Ambulance organisation and the paramedics who are so dedicated to the work they undertake. Rather than delving into the whys and wherefores of such an effective and efficient service, any review would be far better directed toward the Royal Darwin Hospital, especially the ED.  The one thing that DOES need to change is St John’s obligation to respond to callers, who use it as a taxi service, taking them to the ED for the most minor of issues – and clogging both with trivial medical needs.

AFL in Alice Springs 

This decision will unfairly impact the CAFL for the next couple of months. However, stringent AFL requirements on ground conditions have to be met. The loss of the game for want of an adequate playing surface would cause the Alice to dip out on what is an annual filip for the tourist industry – along with depriving locals of the enjoyment of exposure to top-level football.

Nurse Dredge out of Alice after 31 years

Thank you, Mrs Dredge – and your family – for the outstanding contribution you have made to nursing and medical care in Alice Springs. The hospital has been fortunate and blessed to have had you on an increasingly challenged team for over 30 years. Thank you for the positive difference you have made throughout a long and distinguished career in the Red Centre, and all the very best in your new role.

August 24 election is critical

I have never bet on an election outcome and never will. But in prognostic terms, our NT Assembly election, now only 126 days away, is too close to call. The quality of candidates and the outstanding nature of their contributions to the growth and development of our Twerritorey make likely winners, from both present members and aspirants, hard to separate in all seats. I have been voting in NT elections since the 1970s, and the August 24 2024 election is the most critical we have ever faced.

Hospital systems in dire straits

Without a doubt, our hospital system does the best it can, and this data confirms what a sad mess exists in a country where everything of a medical nature seems to be heading south. I live each day in hope of the fact that hospitalisation will not be needed any time soon. Australia’s medical and hospital system is in desperate straits and dire need of a turnaround. 

Brolga Awards

There are so many businesses and organisations that could be nominated for this year’s awards, that the mind boggles. I hope that there will be bno reluctance to nominate or to allow nominations in the various award categories. Managers and organisers work hard to benefit our Territory through their endeavours and deserve the recognition attached to this prestigious awards program.

Dr Peter Forrest

Few things make my blood boil more the the crass and indifferent manner in which our universities hand out honorary doctorates to notary publics. These doctorates are not earned through any academic effort but conferred because recipients are deemed to be important people.

The awarding of an Honorary Doctorate to Peter Forrest is an exception, for this man and his partner have spent decades researching and writing about NT History. The amount of research Dr Forrest has done would, in terms of time devoted to study and pages written, be the equivalent of several PhDs. I am glad he has been honoured.

NT and alcohol

The amount of alcohol consumed, both legally and illegally, by Territorians each year would probably fill two or three full-sized swimming pools. My mind boggles at the sheer volume of dollars that must be spent on alcohol each year. The NT might be the last state/territory in Australia regarding economic growth, but it must win the gong for comparative alcohol consumption.

Eva Lawler and the old Berrimah Jail

Hats off to Chief Minister Lawler for her no-nonsense and common-sense approach to refitting the present Don Dale Centre (old Berrimah Jail) to accommodate the low-level risk prisoners. With some refurbishment, the place is more than fit for this purpose. The growth of our prison population makes this change (to knocking the place down) necessary.

Shiplift … yes, maybe or no

P

For so many years, the Darwin Shiplift has been a vision and to a large extent, that is still the case. I fully expected that the construction wheels would have been put in motion long ago – and that by now, we would have the ship lift. I feel that this facility is still a ‘promise’ and hope that actuality and realisation will soon be confirmed with the start of its building and construction.

GEMCO and Groote Mining standstill

I lived on Groote Eylandt from 1979 until the end of 1982, being principal at Angurugu Community School. The qualities always impressed me about GEMCO were how employees and their families were supported. That the company is ‘staying the course’ with employees at this time shows that to be a vital quality still. The company, contrary to what people may think, supported the Aboriginal communities with employment and training opportunities that were second to none. This included work experience and training programs for senior students from Angurugu School.

Thanks to the Defence Forces and families

Thanks and appreciation to Defence Force members and their families from the inception of Federation to the present day for their contribution and sacrifice to ensure Australia’s safety and security. We owe them an everlasting debt of gratitude.

Crocodile culling

The issue of crocodiles versus humans should be about the question of balance. Proportion is essential, and the debate about culling should be conducted pragmatically and realistically rather than being motivated by knee-jerk emotionalism.

Airport land and rates obligations

P

All dues should be paid.  The situation about whether or not the finding on rates not having to be paid if the airport and its surrounds are on Commonwealth land, with that overruling state, territory and local government income expectations, must be clarified.

King Charlie and John McDouall Stuart 

It might be a good thing if the statue of King Charlie was to be created and placed alongside that of John McDouall Stuart. Both men have been significant contributors to the history and development of Central Australia. Neither should we forget the contexts of the environments and times in which they lived. To have two statues of appreciation and remembrance side by side would go a long way toward reaffirming that, as Australians, there is more that unites us than divides us.

Vulnerability of late night workers

Those working in bottleshops, service stations, late-night food outlets, all-night food services, and isolated stand-alone shops, along with bus, taxi and Uber drivers, continue to be in danger of unexpected attacks. All need to be trained in self preservation strategies and that should include entitlement to use OC capsicum spray. Their vulnerability must be minimised.

Drunks spoil Anzac spirit

I don’t like pictures of people acting in such untoward social fashions. For me, that takes entirely from the dignity of Anzac Day and does little to enhance the Anzac spirit.

Halikos and Newcrest – access to war site

P

I am sure an appeal to the Halikos Group hierarchy would result in an arrangement that enables public access to this site. The long association of this group with the NT would, I am sure, mean that a reasonable access request would be organised.

Zuccoli School full of students

P

As a retired school principal, I can attest to the difficulties demographers and others tasked with predicting future urban growth – upon which planning for school infrastructural development is based – confront. Population bubbles ebb and flow. Construction of – or the closing of schools when enrolments decline –  is not an exact science. At least Zuccoli can access portable classrooms.

The election draws nigh

The quality of candidates – incumbents and hopefuls – standing for election on August 24 will make for cliffhanging results in every one of the Legislative Assembly’s 25 seats. The fact that voters know or know of candidates will add to the intrigue. The election is only 117 days away, virtually around the corner of our four-year parliamentary terms.

Go Beetaloo

P

It looks as if it is ‘all go’ for Beetaloo. I cannot pretend to understand the science of fracking. Still, I worry that if treatments of the ruptured subterranean surface follow extraction, including chemical usage, the water table and artesian water sources could be impacted.

Deprioritise ‘buy now, pay later’ schemes

There are pros and cons to the business drumming up trade by offering credit and deferred payment for goods and services. While ‘pay later’ type plans appear attractive, it is easy for shoppers to weigh themselves down with a mountain of future debt quickly. My advice to everyone would be to save money and then shop. That overcomes payment of interest requirements and worries about making good the debt incurred by ‘buy now, pay later’ type schemes.

National Trauma Centre funding

It is reassuring to know that funding for the National Trauma Centre has been guaranteed for the next three years. Since its establishment – thanks to Dr Len Notarus and his staff – the NTC has been of inestimable value in supporting trauma management in many places, both in Australia and overseas. It is one of the best and most efficiently managed support centres in our country and does the NT proud.

Domestic violence in the NT

The sad and growing scourge of violence against women will only ever get worse. Justice systems allow offenders to bail while waiting for their court cases for violent offences. On top of that, penalties are often trivial. Appended protection and trespass orders are ineffective and a waste of paper upon which they are printed. Electronic bracelets should be required for EVERYONE who is charged with violence – and not only against women. These matters are being treated far too trivially and leniently by the justice system. In these times of increasing violence, God help women, children and us all.

Albo to Alice

The visit to Alice Springs by PM Albanese may well be a waste of time. Authorities have a habit of bussing and moving troublemakers out of centres about to be visited by dignitaries, so they never really see the situation attendant by life on the ground. Mr ASlbanese must visit as the Prince did in ‘The Prince and the Pauper’. The visit must be incognito and over several days and nights. All the advertising of this visit will mean that the issues confronting Alice Springs ‘disappear’ for the duration of the visit.

Basics Card misappropriation

There is no way of overcoming the imaginative ways in which well-intentioned support programs can be manipulated. The only alternative would be a return to times when deprived families were given goods rather than a dedicated means by which necessities could be purchased – if there was no card misuse.

BONZA bombed

P (2 May)

Sadly, I think BONZA was always going to be short-lived. It seems that we are often welcoming of new airlines and new promises of their better service – but their contribution is generally short-lived.  If it wasn’t for the subsidies offered by the NT Government, I doubt if these alternative services would commence in the first place. Sustainability is critical to success, and that is the missing element.

Alice et.al. crime

P

It seems to me that nothing can overcome the sad demise facing not only Alice Springs but far too many towns, settlements and urban centres in the NT. Crime volumes are mind-boggling, and the cessation of nighly impacts is rare.

Past educational success

Sometimes, I wish educational planning authorities would stand still and reflect upon the past and consult a little with those who achieved past successes in all fields of territory education. But there is no interest in what worked longer ago than yesterday. It seems that authorities are hell-bent on revisiting past failures on the educational front – and not interested in what worked and worked well.

The passing of Jim Forscutt

Mr Forscutt was a good man, a very effective mayor, and a person whose genuineness and commitment could never be questioned. I offer condolences to his family and friends, and thank you, Jim, for your contribution to Katherine, the Rivers Region, and our Territory.