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Speaker 1: Joining me on the line is the Mayor of Palmerston,

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Speaker 1: Athena Pasco Bell.

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Speaker 2: Good morning to you, Athena.

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Speaker 3: Good morning Katie.

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Speaker 1: Now Athena obviously due to talk about lots of other things,

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Speaker 1: but I do want to ask yesterday, no doubt you're

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Speaker 1: incredibly shocked and saddened to hear what had gone on

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Speaker 1: in Gray.

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Speaker 4: Yeah. Look, it's got to be completely devastating for everyone involved,

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Speaker 4: you know, the people involved and also police to have

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Speaker 4: something like this have happened. So you know, it's a

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Speaker 4: complete shock, really, and I know.

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Speaker 1: That there had been some locals say that it was

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Speaker 1: only a matter of time before something happened in that area.

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Speaker 1: It's a spot that unfortunately is known for anti social behavior.

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Speaker 1: Is that the situation from your perspective?

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Speaker 4: Look, I think you know, we have waves of issues

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Speaker 4: occurring across Palmerston, so things come and go, but it's

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Speaker 4: really a matter of the community all working together and

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Speaker 4: having a good understanding of what is going on in

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Speaker 4: our suburbs. And I know police try really hard, council

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Speaker 4: try really hard to address antisocial issues in Palmerston. It's

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Speaker 4: just something we've got to keep working on.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, no doubt about that.

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Speaker 1: And you and I spoke just a couple of weeks

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Speaker 1: ago about some of the issues that we've seen with

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Speaker 1: public intoxication and rubbish being left behind. So I won't

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Speaker 1: cover that old ground because there is quite a few

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Speaker 1: other things that I want to talk to you about

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Speaker 1: this morning, and one of those is the boundary set

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Speaker 1: for a big expansion in Palmerston, growing into the previously

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Speaker 1: unincorporated areas of wish Art, tivin Dale, Kirkland Road and

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Speaker 1: l Rundy Athena. What does this mean for the Palmerston Council.

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Speaker 4: So obviously we'll be taking over those areas, so that'll

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Speaker 4: be the management of the public spaces in those areas.

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Speaker 4: It is predominantly industrial sites with some commercial sites. It

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Speaker 4: means that those businesses in that area will have access

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Speaker 4: council services, council representation, and when we do take them

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Speaker 4: over on the first of July, they also have the

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Speaker 4: opportunity to participate in a lot of the programs that

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Speaker 4: the City of Palmerston.

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Speaker 3: Offers, like Mike Palmerstan.

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Speaker 4: We also offer verge assistance, so if a business in

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Speaker 4: that area wants to improve the public spacing side of

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Speaker 4: their property, it doesn't have to be council verged, but

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Speaker 4: it could also be their car parks on the inside,

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Speaker 4: or plant some trees or do some landscaping. Then we

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Speaker 4: offer them a one for one discount on their rates.

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Speaker 4: So if they spend say five thousand dollars putting some

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Speaker 4: landscaping and trees in, then we will reduce their rates

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Speaker 4: bright up to two and a half thousand dollars. Yeah. Right,

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Speaker 4: they'll be able to take those opportunities that we offer

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Speaker 4: our existing businesses in Palmerston and also join in there.

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Speaker 3: For Palmerston residents.

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Speaker 4: It means that we've got a bigger diversity of employment

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Speaker 4: opportunities within our municipality and we've got areas now where

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Speaker 4: we can grow our commercial and industrial estates as well,

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Speaker 4: so hopefully more employment opportunities into the future.

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Speaker 1: And so with those with those areas that were previously unincorporated,

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Speaker 1: would do they pay rates there currently or is that

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Speaker 1: going to be something that now is introduced.

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Speaker 4: They pay rates to the Northern Territory Government currently, So

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Speaker 4: by Council taking that over, we will.

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Speaker 3: Then collect the rates and we will do things like.

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Speaker 4: Taking care of vergers the streets. We think we'll look

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Speaker 4: at upgrading the liking like we have done in the

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Speaker 4: rest of Palmerston. So these programs will be rolled out

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Speaker 4: into those areas. So instead of the Northern Territory Government

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Speaker 4: taking the rates.

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Speaker 3: And you know, providing some.

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Speaker 4: Services, Council will take those rates and provide the same

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Speaker 4: level of service that we do for our other industrial

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Speaker 4: and commercial areas.

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Speaker 1: Okay, and any idea whether the you know, like what

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Speaker 1: the difference will be cost wise to those rates.

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Speaker 5: At this point, it should be very similar because the

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Speaker 5: Northern Territory Government had been choosing a nearby council area

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Speaker 5: to apply the same.

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Speaker 4: Formula for the rate, so it'll be much the same.

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Speaker 4: And I believe they were using Palmersten rate model for

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Speaker 4: those areas currently, so it'll be the same.

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Speaker 1: And oh well, I guess, you know, obviously we'll wait

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Speaker 1: and see what sort of you know, what further info

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Speaker 1: comes out of it, but it does seem as though

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Speaker 1: this is going to be a good move for those

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Speaker 1: different areas.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, look, it will be a good move.

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Speaker 4: And you know, again they'll have representation, so those businesses

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Speaker 4: have issues, they can come to council. They'll be involved

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Speaker 4: in our kin Unity planning as well. And we're just

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Speaker 4: about to kick off our local Economic Plan which we.

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Speaker 3: Adopted late last year.

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Speaker 4: But we're now going to have dedicated resources to actually

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Speaker 4: rolling that out, so those businesses will benefit from the

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Speaker 4: rollout of our local economic plan as well.

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Speaker 1: Now I've seena one of the other things I'm keen

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Speaker 1: to find out about this morning. We caught up with

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Speaker 1: the Lord Bear of Darwin Convact Scarlets a bit earlier

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Speaker 1: talking about those My Darwin vouchers. It seems as though

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Speaker 1: it's been a bit of a slower take up this

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Speaker 1: time around for the my Darwin ones. How's it going

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Speaker 1: for the my Palmestan vouchers.

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Speaker 4: We haven't opened it up to consumers yet, so timement,

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Speaker 4: we're still taking registrations for businesses and then on the

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Speaker 4: fourteenth of March registration for customers will open. It is

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Speaker 4: a six hundred thousand dollars discount voucher schemes.

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Speaker 3: I think that's the same.

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Speaker 4: Amount that Darwin have an offer yeap, and so you know,

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Speaker 4: we're looking forward to that actually opening on the fourteenth

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Speaker 4: for consumers. But at the moment, if you're a Palmeston business,

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Speaker 4: now's your chance to get onto the website and register

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Speaker 4: your business.

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Speaker 1: So still got a bit of time in Palmerston the

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Speaker 1: fourteenth of March and Athena, has there been a lot

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Speaker 1: of businesses registered?

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Speaker 4: Yeah, Look, I understand that a lot of the previous

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Speaker 4: businesses have.

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Speaker 3: Have been quite keen.

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Speaker 4: And I heard last night that a lot of the

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Speaker 4: nail you know, the ladies nail.

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Speaker 2: Yes, yeah, I've signed up.

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Speaker 4: So I think there's a big push for the beauty

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Speaker 4: industry to get involved. So they're very keen and all

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Speaker 4: registered and ready to go. So if you are one

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Speaker 4: of those businesses, and it doesn't have to be the

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Speaker 4: traditional sort of retail, I mean, you could be a

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Speaker 4: mechanic or other you know, things that people don't normally

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Speaker 4: think about, but you are a business, then you can

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Speaker 4: actually participate.

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Speaker 1: Well, everyone's going to be getting around with lovely manicured

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Speaker 1: nails in parliston my sense of it, Athena, can I ask,

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Speaker 1: because I know that there was a criticism after the

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Speaker 1: Law of Me It was on earlier this morning that

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Speaker 1: some of those big chain businesses have also signed up

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Speaker 1: in Darwin and that really this should be more about

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Speaker 1: those actual, you know, locally run.

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Speaker 2: And locally owned businesses. What are your thoughts on that.

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Speaker 4: We don't necessarily allow the big chain to you participate.

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Speaker 4: But if it's one of those franchisees and they are

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Speaker 4: a local franchise with a small operation, so they might

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Speaker 4: still be long to a chain, the local franchise is

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Speaker 4: locally owned, than we allow them to participate.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I think that that's fair enough. That makes sense, Yeah,

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Speaker 2: that does.

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Speaker 1: And I think that that's fair enough if you're talking

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Speaker 1: about a business that is, while it might be a franchise,

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Speaker 1: if it is being run and owned by a local,

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Speaker 1: local territory and local Palmerston business owner, I think that

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Speaker 1: that's fair enough.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, you know, we want to support them as well,

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Speaker 4: local operations. But the big multinational type organizations that really

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Speaker 4: don't have a local presence other than the shop front,

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Speaker 4: then they won't be eligible to participate. Well.

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Speaker 1: Asena Pasco Bell, the Mayor of Palmerston, it's always really

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Speaker 1: good to catch up with you. Happy International Women's Day

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Speaker 1: for yesterday. I know that there is quite a bit

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Speaker 1: happening in Palmerston this week, and I guess anything on

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Speaker 1: today that people should be aware of for tomorrow.

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Speaker 4: Or today, I'm just about to run over. Where is

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Speaker 4: it to the International Women's Day cultural fusion and fashion.

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Speaker 4: So that's at eleven o'clock at the rec Center. Tomorrow

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Speaker 4: we have International Women's Day story time featuring Amy Heatherington

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Speaker 4: awesome and Women in Gaming will be occurring in the afternoon,

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Speaker 4: so you can get those details on council website. Some

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Speaker 4: of them require registration, so just check on the website

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Speaker 4: if you need to register. On Friday night, for young ladies,

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Speaker 4: there is a Pana session at Urban Jams at the

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Speaker 4: Recreation Center.

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Speaker 1: Ah, good stuff. Well Athena Pasco Bell, good to speak

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Speaker 1: with you this morning. We really appreciate your time.

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Speaker 2: Thanks Katie, Thank you.