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Speaker 1: Three sixty with Katie Wolf thanks to Joyce Main Darwin

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Speaker 1: Homes on Stuart Highway, Berrima. I Matt Hepworth filling in

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Speaker 1: for Katie Wolf this morning. Joining me in the studio

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Speaker 1: is the Mayor of Palmerston, Athena Pasco Bell. Good morning,

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Speaker 1: Good morning. There's been a lot of chat around animal

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Speaker 1: management by laws at the moment, as I understand that

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Speaker 1: Palmerston Council put out a review discussion paper. How is

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Speaker 1: that going? Look, it's going quite well.

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Speaker 2: I believe we've had over one hundred and forty people

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Speaker 2: already respond to that. We have released a discussion paper

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Speaker 2: and there is a survey available in order for counsel

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Speaker 2: to get a better understanding of what we need to

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Speaker 2: cater for in our particular community. And we want to

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Speaker 2: rewrite our bylaws so to make them more contemporary and

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Speaker 2: according to current legislative standards as well.

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Speaker 1: Is there a sense that it is outdated at the moment? Oh?

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Speaker 2: Look, absolutely, it is twenty years old. It hasn't been

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Speaker 2: updated for twenty years. A lot of what is in there,

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Speaker 2: you know, it does work, but it doesn't meet current

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Speaker 2: standards and community expectations. Our by laws also only cater

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Speaker 2: for dogs. We don't have any specific dangerous dog provisions

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Speaker 2: in there, which is not contemporary practice right now.

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Speaker 1: And we are also asking.

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Speaker 2: The community about other nuisance animals such as poultry and

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Speaker 2: cats as well. So we're aiming to get the feel

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Speaker 2: from the community about what they have in terms of expectations,

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Speaker 2: and then we'll work to put together a drafting instruction

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Speaker 2: for Parliamentary Council. So this is really only the beginning.

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Speaker 2: It is a very long process. We'll have to go

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Speaker 2: back and forward with Parliamentary Council over about eighteen months,

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Speaker 2: I think, in order to get a final draft.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, and I've read a report recently that there were

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Speaker 1: some complexities around different by laws for as a Darwin Council,

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Speaker 1: Partistan Council and Luchfield Council. As part of this review,

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Speaker 1: are you working in consultation with them to try and

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Speaker 1: unify the by laws across those top end councils.

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Speaker 2: We're not. We're not looking to unify by laws, but

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Speaker 2: we have identified that dangerous animals in general are a

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Speaker 2: problem across our three councils and we need some consistency

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Speaker 2: in that space. And in particular, what we do need

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Speaker 2: is the ability to share information about dangerous dogs with

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Speaker 2: our neighboring councils, because we do know that people move

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Speaker 2: between the three council areas quite regularly, and obviously if

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Speaker 2: there's a dog that's been a nuisance or a danger

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Speaker 2: to the community in one of our council areas, we

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Speaker 2: need to share that information with the incoming council and

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Speaker 2: make it a responsibility of those owners that they are

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Speaker 2: to you notify the councils that they're moving and also

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Speaker 2: that where they're moving too, so that we can take

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Speaker 2: appropriate action with the incoming council.

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Speaker 1: So currently that system is not in place.

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Speaker 2: It's not in place, and you know, we don't have

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Speaker 2: any provisions in that space for notifying the other councils.

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Speaker 2: It is a big concern. We'd also like to see

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Speaker 2: some more strengths in how we deal with dangerous animals.

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Speaker 1: And I'm saying animals.

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Speaker 2: Because in discussion with some of the other councils in

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Speaker 2: the Northern Territory, they've also identified issues with people's pet

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Speaker 2: buffaloes and potty pigs and other animals that people keep

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Speaker 2: in a domestic situation but can escape and cause nuisance

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Speaker 2: to the community. So it's not exclusively about dangerous dogs,

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Speaker 2: but dangerous animals in general could be dealt with at

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Speaker 2: at legislation level with the Northern Territory government rather than bylaws.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, it certainly is a big body of work. So

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Speaker 1: the review discussion paper open at the moment. If people

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Speaker 1: want to provide feedback on that, what can they do

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Speaker 1: and where can they go?

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Speaker 2: Get onto councils website Palmerston dot T dot gov dot U.

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Speaker 2: The discussion paper and survey will be open until the

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Speaker 2: eighth of May, so it's open for two months. If

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Speaker 2: you require a hard you can email Palmerston at Palmerston

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Speaker 2: dot n T dot gov dot AU and a hard

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Speaker 2: copy of those discussion papers and surveys will be sent

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Speaker 2: to you.

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Speaker 1: In some good news Athena, the Community Benefit Scheme application

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Speaker 1: has been awarded.

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Speaker 2: Yes, so we've last night we awarded Writing for the

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Speaker 2: Disabled in the top end a grant of seven and

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Speaker 2: a half thousand dollars to improve their Marlow Lagoon facility.

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Speaker 2: This is fixing up and improving their outdoor area their

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Speaker 2: main arena, to make it, I guess, improve the standard

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Speaker 2: there and also fit a gate with solar power and

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Speaker 2: a code operated entry to enable people to enter the facility,

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Speaker 2: I guess in order to undertake their activities, writing for

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Speaker 2: the disabled Provider service, enabling people of all abilities to

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Speaker 2: undertake equestrian activities. It is something that is a great

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Speaker 2: asset to our community and Councils is very happy to

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Speaker 2: support them.

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Speaker 1: A wonderful organization, I imagine. Obviously, the Community Benefits Scheme

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Speaker 1: I think is something that's ongoing. Other community organizations are

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Speaker 1: able to apply to this is they're ongoing funding there is.

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Speaker 2: We have around one hundred and thirty thousand dollars a

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Speaker 2: year in our Community Benefits scheme. It is open all

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Speaker 2: year round, so I think some other grants have a

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Speaker 2: specific opening and closing date, but our open year round yep.

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Speaker 2: And anyone who's not for profit can actually apply. And

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Speaker 2: we're pretty generous and we like to see our community

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Speaker 2: groups thrive.

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Speaker 1: Yeah. Absolutely, Moving on Athena. I understand next week is

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Speaker 1: Harmony Week and it sounds like City of Palmerston have

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Speaker 1: got quite a few activities organized yep.

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Speaker 2: So we'll be celebrating on Monday the twenty second at

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Speaker 2: the Palmerston Recreation Center and we've got activities from nine

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Speaker 2: till three on that day, celebrating Aboriginal culture, enjoying morning

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Speaker 2: tea and following with some shrim lank and cooking at

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Speaker 2: the end of the day, and a belly dancing workshop.

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Speaker 1: Look, there's some things there that I can do. I'll

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Speaker 1: let you figure out which ones are which.

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Speaker 2: All events are free, but bookings are required to be

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Speaker 2: made on our website and that's in the upcoming events section.

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Speaker 2: And how Many Week is a chance to celebrate Australian

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Speaker 2: multiculturalism and the successful integration of migrants into our community.

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Speaker 1: It certainly is. Back on the topic of animals, the

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Speaker 1: Positive Pets Palmestan tell us more about this.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, you can join our friendly rangers this evening on

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Speaker 2: a walk around Palmeston with your fur friend at five

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Speaker 2: pm at Sanctuary Lakes, and there will be another one

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Speaker 2: on the thirty first of March five pm at Marlow Lagoon.

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Speaker 2: We'll be trialing fortnightly walks to try and build some

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Speaker 2: community walking groups and they will be assisted with our rangers.

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Speaker 2: So if you have any animal behavior issues or just

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Speaker 2: general concerns, you can raise them with our ranges and

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Speaker 2: they will take you on a guided walk.

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Speaker 1: Sounds like a good opportunity. Where as we're discussing a

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Speaker 1: little bit earlier around some of the animal management buy

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Speaker 1: it sounds like a very informal way to perhaps have

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Speaker 1: discussions with some of those council ranges if there are

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Speaker 1: concerns around some of those by laws, an informal way

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Speaker 1: to have that conversation. It is.

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Speaker 2: It's about reaching out to the community providing animal education

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Speaker 2: opportunities and we have been doing a range of things

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Speaker 2: to do with barking dogs and other matters like that,

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Speaker 2: community engagement and training. Our Animal Education officer does a

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Speaker 2: great job and this is just another opportunity for you

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Speaker 2: to get out with your furry friend, speak to the rangers,

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Speaker 2: get some information and go for a walk.

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Speaker 1: Well I think the Pasco bell anything else happening in

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Speaker 1: Palmerston that we should know about. I don't know. There's

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Speaker 1: always things happening.

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Speaker 2: You know. We are still pursuing our swimming pool, so

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Speaker 2: a grant when in progressing quite well. So we wait

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Speaker 2: now to hear from the Commwealth Government to find out

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Speaker 2: whether our grant application has been successful and fingers crossed

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Speaker 2: or do we all go go go from there? I

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Speaker 2: believe the tender for great community Hall reconstruction is in

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Speaker 2: the final stages of consideration, so that announcement should be

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Speaker 2: made soon about that as well.

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Speaker 1: So lots of things happening excellent. When will the Commonwealth

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Speaker 1: get back to you on the on the grant or

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Speaker 1: the funding, I should.

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Speaker 2: Say, I imagine by May, so it might take a

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Speaker 2: few weeks for them to get through their applications. The

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Speaker 2: Building Better Regions fund is two hundred million dollars and

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Speaker 2: there are around five hundred councils in Australia, and although

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Speaker 2: not all of them will apply, I imagine they'll have

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Speaker 2: a very large number of applications.

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Speaker 1: We certainly won't be getting all two hundred if we

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Speaker 1: got we get the application through well. The Mayor of Palmerston,

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Speaker 1: Athena Pasco Bell, thank you so much for public bar

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Speaker 1: this morning. Thank you