Letter to the Alice Springs News Editor – Still no NT Government action on buffel
Alex Vaughan. Why is Central Australia almost the only region nationally at an increased wildfire risk across autumn? The National Council for Fire and Emergency Services unequivocally links this risk to buffel grass invasion and buffel grass regrowth and curing, enabling fire conditions to overcome the longstanding norm for fire regimes across arid and semi-arid lands where “wildfire frequency is typically once a decade”.
Meat dynasty Alice born and bred
Morgan Richards. The swarm of sales people in the Gillen shop of Milner Meats on Saturday mornings couldn’t make it clearer: The Alice is still a great place for a family business.
CBD regeneration: don’t mention crime
Public safety was mentioned frequently during the public consultation about “regenerating” the Alice Springs town centre but the resulting report provides little of value. In the Town Council’s latest Mall initiative the final presentation, now up for public comment, does not contain the words CPTED, vandalism, anti-social nor crime.
Cash for bricks and mortar, not people
The latest government alcohol control effort, now a year old, has resulted in a dramatic drop in bottle shop and online transactions, but how much we drink hasn’t gone down by a lot ... Bill Yan, Member for Namatjira and Shadow Minister for Health, says alcohol abuse measures should have received more funding: “We’ve yet to see much of the $250m promised [by the Prime Minister] last year."
Singleton water allocations: environmentalists fail in court
Proceedings in the Supreme Court about the controversial Singleton Station water allocation by the NT Government were all dismissed by Justice Barr on 31 January 2024. The unsuccessful plaintiffs were the Alice Springs based environmental organisation, Arid Land Environment Centre (ALEC), and the Mpwerempwer Aboriginal Corporation, representing Aboriginal people in the Singleton region 380 km north of Alice Springs.
CLP luminary wants Jacinta Price to get Scomo’s seat
A former Country Liberal Party front bencher, Roger “Stainless” Steele, says it’s likely that NT Senator Jacinta Price “could contribute even more to the North of Australia from a seat in the House of Representatives".
Full throttle for low cost airline
Any conversation about the livability of Alice Springs will quickly hit on atrociously priced air fares making personal contact with loved ones interstate a nightmare. The touchdown of Bonza is bringing significant relief. But why can’t it fly to Sydney?
Gallery: Whistle stop or gate to The Centre’s soul
“Visitors are welcome to our gallery where you can purchase paintings and learn more about the history of Papunya and its artists.” This message is on the Papunya Tjupi website and Yuendumu’s Warlukurlangu Artists have a similar one. Meanwhile the plodding preparations continue for the bombastically named National Aboriginal Arts Gallery (NAAG) in Alice Springs.
No-cost electricity can solve grid problems
Providing zero or low-cost energy during the solar peak is a way of dealing with stability problems in the Alice Springs electricity grid, says Anthony Seipolt of Cadency Consulting, an international expert on renewable power. The Alice Springs News asked him to comment on the two-year $12.5m Future Grid research project...
The cost of owing money
The current Budget Mid Year Report raises the question: How can the NT have a debt of more than nine billion dollars and still boast a balanced Budget? ... Prof Gerritsen takes a wry view about Budget electoral cycles.
