NT

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce flew into Tennant Creek on Wednesday morning to deliver the good news for health in the region. Tennant Creek has been listed as a targeted General Practitioner (GP) recruitment location under the Remote Vocational Training Scheme (RVTS).

Pam Dillon. The Tennant Creek RSL had the pleasure of meeting Darwin artist, Kerry Sandhu, when she delivered 250 stubby coolers to the RSL this week.  The stubby coolers come in five unique ANZAC inspired designs and are named after the songs that are embedded in each design.  

“An assistant secretary from the department falsely claimed Tennant Creek’s new weather radar will be complete this year and was unaware the project’s completion has been delayed until 2023 ... At the last round of Senate Estimates in February, I was disappointed to find out only three out of 28 initiatives of the Barkly Regional Deal have been completed since the deal was signed in 2019” : Senator Marlarndirri McCarthy.

After sold-out previews at the Croatian Film Festival in Sydney, a locally filmed documentary –  Countryman  – will make its cinema release with screenings that bring the film back home to where the Australian story began.  Tennant Creek’s Joseph Williams is the co-producer and artist of the doco and he is excited to screen it in town next Wednesday at Nyinkka Nyunyu   from 5.30pm.

Plans for a boarding school for Tennant Creek have been boosted by a $6.3 million funding announcement in this week’s Federal Budget. The funding is in addition to a standing $9.2 million Federal Government investment and a $3 million contribution from the NT Government.

The Minister for Remote Housing and Town Camps, Chansey Paech, visited a number of homelands at Utopia recently where housing works are rolling out ... In remote communities across the Barkly, there are 74 new homes either completed or underway with dozens more planned.

The Territory Labor Government will introduce legislation this week to facilitate the $30 billion Sun Cable Australia-Asia PowerLink project ... The Solar Project (Australia-Asia Power Link) (Special Provisions) Bill 2022 will provide certainty that key commitments in the Territory’s Project Development Agreement with Sun Cable will be met. The legislation will clarify and streamline existing processes, increase project certainty, and support Sun Cable to secure project financing.

Winanjjikari Music Centre held a networking event on Monday evening at the Centre to give those people interested in local music a chance to have a chat and find out all the latest on the local music scene. With people from Music NT, APRA AMCOS and 8CCC Community Radio in attendance as well as local musos, there was plenty of interesting talk going on regarding the future of performing in the Barkly.  

Pam Dillon. Students from Ampilatwatja school have been fine tuning their tee-ball and softball skills with Barkly Region Sports Coordinator recently ... The Arlpara Police visited and were keen to be involved in playing softball and are looking forward to returning every week to participate in physical activity with the school students.

Chief Minister Michael Gunner, Aboriginal Affairs Minister Selena Uibo, Linda Turner and David Curtis Jnr from Julalikari and Byron Matthews from the National Indigenous Australians Agency signed a Local Decision Making Agreement in Tennant Creek following a Community Cabinet meeting in town on Wednesday.

Northern Territory Chief Minister Michael Gunner’s visit to Tennant Creek this week was greeted with ire by many local residents sick of the continuing crime and antisocial behaviour in town ... “Residents have a reason to be angry with the Chief Minister – since 2016 we have yet to see a detailed crime prevention plan that would tackle the issues in Tennant Creek”: Barkly MLA Steve Edgington.

The South Australian Territory Minister for Veteran’s Affairs Kaul Pirby was recently in town and visited the local RSL. Unfortunately on his social media page, Mr Pirby was confused to where he was in fact visiting.

Tennant Creek was fortunate this year to have two events celebrating International Women’s Day, with the second one being held in the Peace Garden at the Women’s Refuge on Tuesday evening.

An 18-year-old man has been charged with the alleged physical sexual assault of a woman on the main street of Tennant Creek on Tuesday night.

After almost two years since the Tennant Creek IGA was destroyed by juvenile arsonists, the new and improved store was unveiled to eager shoppers yesterday morning. And what an impression it made!