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Speaker 1: You may have heard on the show yesterday we caught

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Speaker 1: up with Daniel Rochford, the See of Tourism Central Australia,

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Speaker 1: and he was talking about the tourism stats in Central Australia.

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Speaker 1: But then he also said in some breaking news well

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Speaker 1: that the land had been formally acquired from anzac Oval

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Speaker 1: by the Northern Territory Government so that the National Aboriginal

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Speaker 1: Art Gallery could get under way. Now, joining us on

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Speaker 1: the line right now to tell us a little bit

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Speaker 1: more about the situation is the Alice Springs Mayor Matt Patterson.

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Speaker 2: Good morning to you.

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Speaker 3: Matt morning, thanks for having me.

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Speaker 1: Thanks for joining us. Matt, what is the situation with

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Speaker 1: the land. It's been a long time coming.

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Speaker 3: It's been a very long time coming. So the Northern

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Speaker 3: Terretory Government has acquired anzak Oval, so the keys with

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Speaker 3: them at the moment. So we'll just continue to negotiate

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Speaker 3: around the compensation of the acquisition and hopefully, you know,

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Speaker 3: we can get to the end of the project. It's

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Speaker 3: been a very long time, over five years talking about it.

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Speaker 3: And yes and zach over now belongs to the Northern

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Speaker 3: Tertiary Government.

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Speaker 1: So no agreement get in terms of the compensation, you know,

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Speaker 1: in terms of them taking it over.

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Speaker 3: No, So what happens is they give notice to our

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Speaker 3: Springstown Council they're going to acquire it. We then become

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Speaker 3: effectively managers of the land for three months and then

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Speaker 3: they then become owners of it after that three months.

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Speaker 3: The value a general provides advice on the cost of

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Speaker 3: the land plus the the costs of having to move,

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Speaker 3: and we have that negotiation. If we can't come to

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Speaker 3: a negotiation, an agreement of the negotiation between the two parties,

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Speaker 3: it will then get to refer to NTCAT, which you

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Speaker 3: know wouldn't be a great result for the community or

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Speaker 3: delaying the process anymore, but that's the option of the

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Speaker 3: council has.

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Speaker 1: Now what has the reaction been from the community today?

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Speaker 3: You know, it's hidden this, I mean it's pretty It's

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Speaker 3: been such a divisive project from the start, and I

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Speaker 3: think that that's been the way being delivered. I think

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Speaker 3: that both parties would have learned a lot of how

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Speaker 3: to handle things going forward. But yeah, look, it's you know,

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Speaker 3: I think that the community it was inevitable that it

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Speaker 3: was going to happen. So, you know, some of the

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Speaker 3: community have moved on, some of the community obviously don't

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Speaker 3: support it, which is which is right, So we'll continue

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Speaker 3: to work with the community to try to come up

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Speaker 3: with the best result.

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Speaker 1: Now, I guess you know, it has certainly been touted

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Speaker 1: as a tourism draw card and somewhere which which hopefully

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Speaker 1: a lot of people from around Australia want.

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Speaker 2: To come a visit.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, and I think that the Northern Territory had done

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Speaker 3: a study that said it would be bringing around one

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Speaker 3: hundred and fifty extra people per day to our springs.

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Speaker 3: So on that basis, you know, we'll welcome that. Our

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Speaker 3: Springstown Council has always supported the national aoriginal gallery happening

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Speaker 3: in our springs. It was just obviously the location has

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Speaker 3: been quite sensitive and we know that you know, now

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Speaker 3: we've lost the sporting Oval, we know that we need

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Speaker 3: another one, so we're effectively too short now. So we'll

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Speaker 3: hopefully work with the Northern Territory government to make sure

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Speaker 3: that when that investment of the Sporting Ovals happen, we

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Speaker 3: have a seat at the table to make sure that

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Speaker 3: that Sporting Ovals what will benefit the other Springs community.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, because that's always the difficulty.

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Speaker 1: What's it going to mean for some of those local

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Speaker 1: sports have they still got somewhere where they can play.

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Speaker 3: So rugby league and rugby union are the two sports

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Speaker 3: that are going to be mainly affected. Our Springstown Council

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Speaker 3: are still maintaining the oval as we speak, and that

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Speaker 3: is because we don't want to see rugby league miss out.

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Speaker 3: They're coming up to their finals, so I think that

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Speaker 3: we want to make sure that that oval is still

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Speaker 3: in mint condition for the juniors and seniors that play

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Speaker 3: play there every Saturday. But we'll have those negotiations around

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Speaker 3: the cost of upkeep with the Northern Territory government. Ye.

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Speaker 3: But yeah, you know, it's obviously a huge investment that's

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Speaker 3: going to have to happen into a new sporting facility,

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Speaker 3: and we need the Northern Territory Government to work with

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Speaker 3: those sports so they can grow their sports with the

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Speaker 3: price facility that will be built.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, it sounds like there's still quite a bit of

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Speaker 1: work to get underway.

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Speaker 2: Matt. How are things going in Alice Springs?

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Speaker 1: You and I have spoken on so many occasions about

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Speaker 1: crime and some of the other concerns.

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Speaker 2: How are things tracking at the moment?

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Speaker 3: Yeah, it's still in your face, Kadie it's still happening.

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Speaker 3: You know, there was an investment from the federal government

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Speaker 3: this week for three million dollars, and I think that

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Speaker 3: that's a good start. But you know, we're seeing DV rise,

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Speaker 3: we're seeing illegal camping rise. The crime is still happening

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Speaker 3: every single day here. It's still twenty properties a day

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Speaker 3: that are getting broken into. So everyone's feeling it. And

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Speaker 3: it's just senseless vandalism, just breaking windows for the sake

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Speaker 3: of breaking windows. Our small business have had such a

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Speaker 3: tough year, I'm sure, like lucking Go and the small

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Speaker 3: businesses through going through COVID, we're getting out of COVID,

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Speaker 3: We've got tourists and we're just seeing windows brought it

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Speaker 3: up in our CBD. It's just heartbreaking and business owners

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Speaker 3: have to, you know, wear this out of their back pocket.

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Speaker 3: It's just not fair.

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Speaker 1: Do you feel I mean, do you feel as though

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Speaker 1: they're starting to some change or does it still feel

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Speaker 1: as though you're sort of stuck in this, you know

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Speaker 1: situation where where you're on your own kind of thing.

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Speaker 3: I think the Northern Territory government are listening, and I'm

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Speaker 3: meeting with the chief next week to discuss it. So

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Speaker 3: I think their listing is. You know, I think more

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Speaker 3: people talk about it, the better, but it's obviously one

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Speaker 3: of those things. Kadie is the mayor. I don't want

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Speaker 3: to talk about it sometimes because I want to promote

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Speaker 3: my town, not say the difficulties difficulties we face. But look,

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Speaker 3: you know there are things happening within the Northern Territory

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Speaker 3: government around the public order response for getting more patrols.

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Speaker 3: Both sort of things are welcome, and you know the

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Speaker 3: federal government has been here this week to also talk

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Speaker 3: about it. But you know it's a complex issue, but

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Speaker 3: we certainly need accommodation. It's at the top of our list,

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Speaker 3: the crisis combination, people who are suffering domestic violence. The

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Speaker 3: women's shelter is full. We've got crisis commodation down the road,

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Speaker 3: nine to nine beds that's always full. We need more

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Speaker 3: investment into that area to make change and we need

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Speaker 3: that quickly, and so you know we'll advocate for that

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Speaker 3: as a council to make sure that Darwin and Canberra

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Speaker 3: are listening. But you know, we can't have people homeless,

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Speaker 3: people camping in the river coming into town for whatever needs,

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Speaker 3: so we need to address that.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely, Matt please do keep us in the loop

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Speaker 1: as things are happening. I know, like you said, you

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Speaker 1: are the mayor, you don't want to be talking the

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Speaker 1: place down, but it is really important obviously you know

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Speaker 1: that these issues are brought.

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Speaker 2: To the forefront.

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Speaker 1: And if there is anything that you think we should

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Speaker 1: know about, please, you know, I feel free to let

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Speaker 1: us know.

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Speaker 3: I'll keep you in the loop. But a happy not

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Speaker 3: We do have the Henley on Todd tomorrow.

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Speaker 2: Sh we did hear this, Yes, that's great, that's.

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Speaker 3: Good to the town. So you know, we do have

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Speaker 3: a lot of tourists here at the moment. It is

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Speaker 3: fantastic to see tourists back and that events staying COVID

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Speaker 3: structure the last few years, so it'll be welcome back

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Speaker 3: and I'm sure we'll see some happy tourists down in

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Speaker 3: the tomorrow.

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Speaker 2: No doubt about it.

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Speaker 1: Well we actually we did speak to Daniel Rochford yesterday

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Speaker 1: as well about some of those tourist numbers, and some

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Speaker 1: of them are massive, you know, forty percent increase in

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Speaker 1: the number of nights that people are staying in the

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Speaker 1: Northern Territory, one hundred and forty four percent increase in

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Speaker 1: the visitor expenditure compared to May twenty nineteen. So there's

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Speaker 1: definitely lots of tourists around the Northern Territory, which is

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Speaker 1: a wonderful thing. And it sounds like with that event

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Speaker 1: back this weekend that should be fun as well.

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Speaker 3: It'll be very fun and it's great to see the

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Speaker 3: tourist numbers. All we need to do now is get

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Speaker 3: quantas to not make the fairs so ridiculously county. Then

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Speaker 3: those numbers will rise even further. So, yeah, challenges allows,

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Speaker 3: but we look forward to it.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, exactly, and yet it's never like it makes it

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Speaker 1: so bloody hard, doesn't it? With those with the cost

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Speaker 1: of flights, whether you're talking about Alice Springs or other

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Speaker 1: regional parts of Australia, if we could just get some

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Speaker 1: reasonably priced air fares, it would make things so much simpler.

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Speaker 3: I absolutely agree with you. I think that, you know,

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Speaker 3: it would be nice for Quantis to put the NT

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Speaker 3: back in Quantis the Northern Territory and put us back

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Speaker 3: on their map because it's horrendous to get out of

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Speaker 3: Alice Springs at the moment, and you know, they run

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Speaker 3: a business. We appreciate that, but you know, I need

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Speaker 3: to it all comes down to the liveability of other

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Speaker 3: Springs as well as just simple things like f is

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Speaker 3: getting out of here. But hopefully you know that they'll

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Speaker 3: listen to I'm sure they listen to your program, Katie,

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Speaker 3: but you know hopefully that those things can change.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, hey, before.

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Speaker 1: I let you go, how are the petrol prices looking

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Speaker 1: for you guys in Alice above?

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Speaker 3: Two dollars two twenty five for diesel, two two for petrol.

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Speaker 2: Bloody hell, that's tough going.

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Speaker 3: Correct, It's very tough at the moment. Everything, you know,

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Speaker 3: the cost of living for everything's expensive. And as I said,

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Speaker 3: you're paying two twenty five th diesel and you're aplacing

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Speaker 3: the window every fortnight. It's becomes banging your heead against

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Speaker 3: a brick wall sometimes, Katie.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, well mate, we've been banging on about these petrol

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Speaker 1: prices and it is always interesting to hear how they're

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Speaker 1: going in the likes of Alice.

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Speaker 2: Springs and Catherine.

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Speaker 1: Catherine's slightly cheaper than us here in Darwin, which is bizarre.

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Speaker 1: But for you guys, it sounds like you're really coppying it. Yeah, yeah,

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Speaker 1: it's not good. I know, it's not worth laughing about

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Speaker 1: because it's terrible, but you Thank goodness laugh.

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Speaker 3: I realized pretty quickly sitting in this office.

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Speaker 2: Oh exactly.

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Speaker 1: Well. I appreciate you keeping us up to date with

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Speaker 1: a whole raft of things there, Matt, but I'm always

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Speaker 1: keen to find out how the petrol prices are looking

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Speaker 1: as well, so I appreciate you knowing those off the

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Speaker 1: top of your head.

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Speaker 3: Mate, that was fantastic I learned from Skomo or whoever

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Speaker 3: it was, to keep up to date with bread, milk

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Speaker 3: and petrol.

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Speaker 2: Lovers. Good on you, Matte.

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Speaker 1: Thank you for your time this morning.

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Speaker 2: Thank you