German millions for mine near Alice
Germany is investing €50m ($58m) in a rare earth mine north of Alice Springs, near Aileron, in a bid to secure access to the crucial materials for German businesses, according to Economy Minister Katherina Reiche.
60 years NT: The ups, the downs
Alex Nelson. This year, 2026, marks the 60th anniversary of a pivotal episode in the history of the Northern Territory. Seismic changes occurred in national and local politics that profoundly influenced the course of events shaping the Territory as we know it today.
Huge crowd supports Mayor
More than 100 supporters for Mayor Asta Hill at last night's council meeting spilled from the meeting chamber into the entrance hall and from there onto the lawns outside. They displayed love hearts in the Aboriginal flag colours, with her name inside, and a poster saying "Asta Hill Leadership" ... This followed the Mayor's decision to stay away from the council's Australia Day celebrations ...
Mayor Hill to abstain from council’s Australia Day function
The Town Council ... (19.1.2026) announced its "special Australia Day ceremony" and ... (20.1.2026) Mayor Asta Hill announced that she won't be taking part. "It is my personal view that the 26 January is not the right date to celebrate our national day," she said in a statement.
Beating buffel: From that to this
Alex Nelson. When I moved to Pitchi Richi Sanctuary in October 2022, buffel grass smothered almost the entire site. Aside from a small area around the resident caretaker's cottage, I assessed that buffel grass comprised a minimum of 99.9 per cent of the groundcover across the entire property.
Where our lopsided economy is really at
Don Fuller. Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro has been trumpeting the economic information provided by the latest CommSec State of the States Economic Report, claiming that this was clear evidence of the government’s success in rebuilding the NT economy.
Gas: Suppliers rip-off or government incompetence?
Don Fuller. Has the NT Government been taken to the cleaners by the gas industry or is the government simply incompetent? It seems clear that it has bought far too much gas at far too high a price.
Asta Hill is the Mayor of Alice Springs
Asta Hill, the top scorer in primary votes both for the mayoral and councillor local government polls, has triumphed in the preferential count and is the new Mayor of Alice Springs. Ms Hill received 4544 votes ahead of Eli Melky with 4488 votes.
Gallery? Museum? We’ve finally got to get it right
Alex Nelson. This week marks the 34th anniversary of the official opening of the Commonwealth's Jock Nelson Centre in August 1991. This is the splendid Commonwealth building I suggested ought to be re-purposed as the permanent home of the Museum of Central Australia during my presentation at the Friends of the Strehlow Research Centre Symposium in April 2018.
Mass exodus from council
Alex Nelson. The standout features of this year’s local government elections for Alice Springs are the imminent near wholesale replacement of all council members and the high number of candidates running for councillor. With 25 candidates, it overtakes the 1988 campaign with 24 nominations for alderman as the second-highest on record.
