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Speaker 1: It has been a while since we caught up with

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Speaker 1: the Palmerston Mara Athena pasco Bel, but she joins me

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Speaker 1: in the studio, good morning.

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Speaker 2: To you, Mey, good morning, Good to have you in

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Speaker 2: the studio.

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Speaker 1: Now, yesterday we know the supercar convoy and the drivers,

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Speaker 1: well they went through Palmerston stopping for a community event

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Speaker 1: in Gorda Square.

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Speaker 2: How did it go.

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Speaker 3: It was great, just absolutely wonderful having them come through Palmerston.

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Speaker 3: There was lots of entertainment and food available, big smoking

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Speaker 3: ceremony and welcome to country as well. So yeah, just

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Speaker 3: fantastic to have them come through Palmeston for the first

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Speaker 3: time ever.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, and like I would imagine, so exciting for the

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Speaker 1: people of Palmerston to you know, to be able to

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Speaker 1: have that in Palmerston rather than having to travel into

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Speaker 1: town today.

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Speaker 3: Yeah. Possibly also for some of the people in the

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Speaker 3: rural area. You know, we're a bit closer than coming

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Speaker 3: all the way into the city. So it's really good

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Speaker 3: that we've been able to have lots of exciting events

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Speaker 3: coming out to Palmsden.

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Speaker 1: Do you reckon You've got quite a few people there.

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Speaker 1: If you had to guess the number.

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Speaker 3: I looked there was several hundred. Yeah, and I heard

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Speaker 3: that there was lots of people up on the highway

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Speaker 3: still as well, so they'll you know, waiting on side

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Speaker 3: of the road. And yeah, we had quite a few

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Speaker 3: people coming into the city center just in time for

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Speaker 3: the convoy as well.

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Speaker 2: All good stuff.

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Speaker 1: Now, of course, school holidays start on Monday as well,

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Speaker 1: and I understand the Palmeston Council's.

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Speaker 2: Got quite a bit to keep the kids entertained.

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Speaker 3: We have got so much on offer, starting with the

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Speaker 3: library program, so there's three weeks of free activities including

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Speaker 3: animal encounters, art and craft, rock painting performances and movies.

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Speaker 3: Every session starts at ten am on Monday to Friday.

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Speaker 3: You don't need to book, but if you want to

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Speaker 3: see the full schedule, just jump onto the council website

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Speaker 3: and you can see what's on each day.

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Speaker 2: It's good.

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Speaker 1: I think it's good to keep the you know, for

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Speaker 1: the council, whether it's here in Darwen, whether it's in Palmerston,

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Speaker 1: no matter where it is, to have those different activities

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Speaker 1: for the young people because it's a fairly large block

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Speaker 1: of holidays as well for parents to try and keep

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Speaker 1: the kids entertained.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, and if you're not going away, then you're looking

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Speaker 3: for things to do with the kids. So it's really

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Speaker 3: good that we're able to offer a whole range approach programs.

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Speaker 3: Sorry help. We also have Flicnicks coming up on Saturday,

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Speaker 3: the twenty eighth of June, and that's at Joan Fijo

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Speaker 3: Park in Rosebery and the movie is The Garfield Movie.

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Speaker 3: There'll be food trucks and kids activities from five point

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Speaker 3: thirty and the movie will start at sunset.

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Speaker 2: Good stuff.

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Speaker 1: Hey, I know that public consultation as well as now

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Speaker 1: closed for the council's budget and municipal plan. But for

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Speaker 1: any residents who aren't aware, what was the rate increase?

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Speaker 3: We're raising rates by four point nine percent, which we

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Speaker 3: understand is a little bit high. Unfortunately, with a current

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Speaker 3: anti CAT decision standing with venture housing who anti CAT

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Speaker 3: decided don't need to pay council rates, we've had to

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Speaker 3: increase our budget this year by one percent just to

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Speaker 3: cover the lost income from those properties.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, right, How many properties do they have out there?

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Speaker 3: Look, in total there is around two hundred, but not

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Speaker 3: all venture housing which come under a community housing provider

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Speaker 3: or public benevolent institution banner there are more constructing as well,

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Speaker 3: so we're expecting a lot more. We've been lobbying the

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Speaker 3: Northern Territory government to make some changes to the legislation

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Speaker 3: or clarify it, and we are going to the Supreme

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Speaker 3: Court to have this decision reviewed and that will be

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Speaker 3: heard next Friday.

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Speaker 1: So how much is it sort of costing the council

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Speaker 1: for them not to be paying rates.

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Speaker 3: That was about two hundred thousand dollars for that decision,

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Speaker 3: and that is equivalent to about a one percent rate

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Speaker 3: increase in Palmerston for everyone else, So you know it

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Speaker 3: And although you know the government might say, oh, you know,

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Speaker 3: it's only a few houses, but we're looking more long term.

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Speaker 3: We have about fifteen percent public housing, so if those

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Speaker 3: are all converted into public benevolent institutions or passed off

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Speaker 3: to community housing providers, they might all come and ask

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Speaker 3: for no rates exemptions.

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Speaker 2: So as public housing do they pay rates.

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Speaker 3: They do currently, but there is a real risk that

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Speaker 3: as more community housing providers come on board that we'll

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Speaker 3: see a lot more houses transferred to community housing providers.

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Speaker 3: The Northern Territory government might decide to divest their housing

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Speaker 3: stock and at the moment the Comwealth's got a lot

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Speaker 3: of money for public and social housing, and so there

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Speaker 3: is a program for one hundred and forty additional houses

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Speaker 3: in the Northern Territory and more than ninety of them

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Speaker 3: have been flagged for Palmerston, which is just disproportionately unfair

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Speaker 3: really on our community.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, right, so it sounds like you guys, you don't.

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Speaker 1: I mean, look, I guess everybody has the view that

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Speaker 1: we certainly need homes for people that do but it

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Speaker 1: sounds like you guys don't want that dense public housing

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Speaker 1: in Palmistice.

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Speaker 3: It's not just the density of the public housing, which

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Speaker 3: is a huge issue in places like Gray and you know,

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Speaker 3: Clinton House working quite hard to try and address those issues.

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Speaker 3: But when we have we end up if we end

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Speaker 3: up with a large proportion of residential property not paying rates,

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Speaker 3: those costs will be passed on to the other rate

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Speaker 3: payers and you know they all still use the same roads,

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Speaker 3: foot paths, the library programs. So everyone should be contributing,

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Speaker 3: and we don't see housing. The housing crisis is not

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Speaker 3: a crisis that councils in the Northern Territory have created

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Speaker 3: because we don't control planning.

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Speaker 1: So in terms of you said then that public housing

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Speaker 1: do pay rates, Do the residents pay rates or does

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Speaker 1: the government pay rates on their behalf?

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Speaker 3: The government pays it, so it's always the landlord generally

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Speaker 3: that pays the rates.

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Speaker 1: Okay, And so you're in a situation now with Venture

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Speaker 1: Housing not paying those rates that you're saying that then

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Speaker 1: you've got to put up the other Palmerston residents rates

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Speaker 1: as a result.

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Speaker 3: Yes, and we're aware that a few other community housing

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Speaker 3: providers are looking at this pending Supreme Court action and

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Speaker 3: they will likely apply for rates exemptions in the future

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Speaker 3: as well. And with more community housing providers being funded

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Speaker 3: by the Commwealth government to build social housing, we can

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Speaker 3: see that there will be a lot more or exemptions

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Speaker 3: on the cards. And I keep pointing out to the

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Speaker 3: Commonwealth as well that the Northern Territories not like the

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Speaker 3: other jurisdictions because our homeless rate is something like thirteen

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Speaker 3: times the next jurisdiction. We understand that there's a significant need,

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Speaker 3: but you can't pass those costs off onto other rate

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Speaker 3: payers or other levels of government.

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Speaker 1: Yeah. Look, I tend to agree, but then I guess

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Speaker 1: to play devil's advocate as well. You are talking about

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Speaker 1: people that you know, maybe on a pension, may have

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Speaker 1: a disability, may have other issues that are then in

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Speaker 1: that community housing. I mean, if that is the case,

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Speaker 1: do you think that they should then be paying rates

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Speaker 1: when you've got public housing tenants that aren't if ultimately

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Speaker 1: the government's paying those.

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Speaker 3: I think they all should be paying or contributing to

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Speaker 3: the services that the council provides. Community housing providers, if

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Speaker 3: they're a public, benevolent institution or a registered charity, operate

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Speaker 3: tax free already, and in some cases they may also

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Speaker 3: be eligible for other housing schemes from the territory government

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Speaker 3: or the Commonwealth government as well. So even though they

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Speaker 3: offer lower rates, there are some cases where they do

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Speaker 3: get some sort of subsidy. So if you remember the

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Speaker 3: old n RAF scheme that was subsidized, and they operate

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Speaker 3: tax free, so it's not like a landlord, a private

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Speaker 3: landlord who would have to declare the income and depreciation

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Speaker 3: schedules and stuff like that and possibly pay more tax

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Speaker 3: on their rent. Yeah, these institutions get their so their incomes.

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Speaker 1: And it sounds like for you, the bigger concern is

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Speaker 1: you're wanting to have the like you're wanting to have

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Speaker 1: things set in place now, so that if more community,

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Speaker 1: more public housing comes online in Palmerston, that you're not

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Speaker 1: winding up in a situation where you've got more residents

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Speaker 1: that are relying on those council services but not paying

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Speaker 1: rates for them.

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Speaker 3: That's right, and then the costs get passed either get

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Speaker 3: passed off onto other rate payers. And in Palmerston we

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Speaker 3: have predominantly residential so it's going to be mums and

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Speaker 3: dads who will pay the increases. We don't have a

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Speaker 3: lot of commercial and industrial properties, you know, so some

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Speaker 3: councils might be able to spread that risk over to

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Speaker 3: the other portfolios, but we don't really have that option

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Speaker 3: in Palmerston.

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Speaker 1: So in terms of I mean, you said it was

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Speaker 1: going to cost about two hundred thousand dollars by not

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Speaker 1: receiving those rates from Venture Housing. So with that one

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Speaker 1: percent increase or to four point nine percent now on

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Speaker 1: your rates, is that going to cover all of that

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Speaker 1: and then some or how much do you anticipate that's

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Speaker 1: going to bring in for the council.

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Speaker 3: That's for this coming financial year, and then we'll see

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Speaker 3: what happens next financial year and if we get more

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Speaker 3: community housing providers asking for exemptions or more properties are

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Speaker 3: transferred or divested by territory housing. It's just a really

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Speaker 3: uncertain and we just don't we can't risk manage it

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Speaker 3: because we just don't know what the future is going

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Speaker 3: to look like and there's no certainty of clarity around that.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, so it sounds like there's a bit of work

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Speaker 1: still to happen in this area. Now, look in terms

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Speaker 1: of some of the other issues out there in Palmerston,

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Speaker 1: in terms of public housing and some of the density

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Speaker 1: of public housing. I mean, as you touched on, we

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Speaker 1: did catch up with the member for Drystyle Clinton, how

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Speaker 1: about this and some of the issues out there with

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Speaker 1: public drunkenness. Did you also write a submission to the

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Speaker 1: Liquor Commission on that issue?

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Speaker 3: I did write a letter to the Liquor Commission in

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Speaker 3: support of having a public hearing.

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Speaker 2: So where are things at don't know.

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Speaker 3: So we're just waiting for the Liquor Commission to come

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Speaker 3: back and say whether they will hold a public hearing

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Speaker 3: or not.

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Speaker 1: How important is it do you think that that does happen?

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Speaker 1: Like it sounds as though it's a real concern for

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Speaker 1: people at the moment in Palmerston.

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Speaker 3: It's an absolutely massive concern, you know, and I'm sure

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Speaker 3: you've heard it from Clinton as well.

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Speaker 1: There and listeners getting in contact with us saying there's

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Speaker 1: drunks all around the place, there's people intoxicated, you know,

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Speaker 1: from early in the morning.

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Speaker 3: From early in the morning, they're all over the footpaths.

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Speaker 3: They hang out at the Gray Community Center as well,

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Speaker 3: which really upsets our users of that facility. It's you know,

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Speaker 3: it's close proximity to a childcare center and Gray School,

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Speaker 3: so kids see this behavior on their way to and

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Speaker 3: from school. It's not the sort of thing that any

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Speaker 3: parent wants their children exposed to. And you know, you

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Speaker 3: want children to be raised in an environment where they

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Speaker 3: see people acting appropriately and they understand that that is

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Speaker 3: the proper way to conduct yourself when you're growing up

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Speaker 3: and when you're an adult. You don't want them thinking

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Speaker 3: that drinking in public places and being on the footpath

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Speaker 3: is normal.

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Speaker 1: No, I agree with you, and we have unfortunately seen

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Speaker 1: some pretty bad incidents as well out in the Palmerston area.

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Speaker 1: I mean last week, for example, there was a man

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Speaker 1: that was arrested after indecently exposing himself to a young child,

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Speaker 1: to a person under the age of sixteen, years old.

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Speaker 1: So I mean you don't want people drinking in public

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Speaker 1: spaces because then what you see, unfortunately, is a deterioration

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Speaker 1: in behavior. I think throughout the day and as those

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Speaker 1: days go on. So I can understand, so Athena, from

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Speaker 1: your perspective as the mayor, what do you want to

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Speaker 1: see happen next in terms of, you know, the Liquor

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Speaker 1: Commission looking at some of the issues out in Palmerston

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Speaker 1: when it comes to those takeaway out lets, et cetera.

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Speaker 3: I think they really need to have a good hard

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Speaker 3: listen to the community. You know, the Act is quite

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Speaker 3: clear about harm minimization, you know, the effect on the community.

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Speaker 3: There's a few specific clauses that they should actually be

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Speaker 3: taking more seriously, but they don't seem to actually understand that.

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Speaker 3: You know, when people like or organizations like police and

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Speaker 3: the council make submissions in regards to licenses, that we

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Speaker 3: have a really good understanding of what's going on in

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Speaker 3: the ground and the social condition conditions in those suburbs

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Speaker 3: and those areas. So when we say this is not

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Speaker 3: a good idea because there are all these social issues

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Speaker 3: already in existence in this community and additional license will

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Speaker 3: make it worse. You know, they're not currently listening to

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Speaker 3: that advice. So when we've objected in the past to licenses,

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Speaker 3: they've still gone ahead and issued them. And I can

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Speaker 3: tell you that for a community the size of Palmerston,

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Speaker 3: we have over fifty licenses.

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Speaker 2: In farmacy licenses in Palmerston.

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Speaker 3: And that ranges everything from your local sports club who

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Speaker 3: sells you know, beers and things on game day, to

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Speaker 3: your restaurants and cafes, to the takeaway outlets and to

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Speaker 3: your pubs and clubs. But there is no shortage of

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Speaker 3: access to alcohol in Palmerston, and they really need to

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Speaker 3: have a closer look at the impact to social conditions

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Speaker 3: in the community and trying to deal with that and

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Speaker 3: maybe saying enough is really enough. They made some I

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Speaker 3: guess allowances for greenfield areas, so you know, down through

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Speaker 3: Zicoli because it's a new suburb. But when you look

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Speaker 3: at the rest of Palmerston and you're going, well, there

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Speaker 3: is just no shortage of alcohol. But we see a

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Speaker 3: lot of alcohol fueled violence. There's a lot of domestic

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Speaker 3: violence that includes alcohol. There's a lot of other assaults

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Speaker 3: that involves alcohol, you know, and the community has had

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Speaker 3: enough and there's I think it's only the minority of

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Speaker 3: people who say, oh, well it's just convenient for me

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Speaker 3: to go and get alcohol from there, when everyone generally

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Speaker 3: will drive and can go anywhere in Palmerston to get alcohol.

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Speaker 1: Well, Mayor of Palmerston Athena Pasco Belt, we are gonna

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Speaker 1: have to leave it there because we've got a head

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Speaker 1: across to the National News. Good to catch up with you.

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Speaker 1: Thank you for your time today.

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Speaker 3: Thank you