1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:03,280 Speaker 1: The RSL's controversial proposal to build a new clubhouse on 2 00:00:03,320 --> 00:00:06,920 Speaker 1: the Esplanade. Hit Star and Council tonight executive staff are 3 00:00:06,920 --> 00:00:10,440 Speaker 1: recommending elected members provide in principal support to the plan, 4 00:00:10,800 --> 00:00:13,200 Speaker 1: but it's coming up against some heavy competition from the 5 00:00:13,240 --> 00:00:16,560 Speaker 1: neighboring deck Chair Cinema. They're worried about noise and light 6 00:00:16,600 --> 00:00:20,239 Speaker 1: pollution associated with the development. More than eleven thousand people 7 00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:22,680 Speaker 1: have signed a petition to keep the space free. To 8 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:25,239 Speaker 1: talk more about it is James Parker from the deck 9 00:00:25,320 --> 00:00:25,840 Speaker 1: Chair Cinema. 10 00:00:25,840 --> 00:00:27,800 Speaker 2: Good morning, James, Hi, Matt, thanks for having me on 11 00:00:27,800 --> 00:00:28,160 Speaker 2: the show. 12 00:00:28,360 --> 00:00:31,080 Speaker 1: James, it's a big day for both you, the deck 13 00:00:31,120 --> 00:00:33,920 Speaker 1: Chairs Cinema and the RSL today. How are you feeling 14 00:00:33,920 --> 00:00:34,840 Speaker 1: about tonight's meeting. 15 00:00:35,800 --> 00:00:40,040 Speaker 3: We're very concerned. Obviously the Council administration have put forward 16 00:00:40,080 --> 00:00:43,599 Speaker 3: their recommendation. We disagree with that. We don't think that 17 00:00:43,600 --> 00:00:50,199 Speaker 3: that's a particularly good recommendation. Tonight is really do or 18 00:00:50,240 --> 00:00:53,920 Speaker 3: die for the cinema. It's this is a large development. 19 00:00:54,520 --> 00:00:58,200 Speaker 3: It's roughly eighty meters from I screen, I projectors forty 20 00:00:58,240 --> 00:00:59,880 Speaker 3: meters from I screen, so it's not a long where 21 00:01:00,240 --> 00:01:01,520 Speaker 3: if you were to put it on the other side 22 00:01:01,520 --> 00:01:03,120 Speaker 3: of the cinema, it'd be in our car park. 23 00:01:04,160 --> 00:01:06,600 Speaker 2: And we rely on not having disturbance. 24 00:01:07,200 --> 00:01:09,200 Speaker 3: So if you put a large business like that, it's 25 00:01:09,200 --> 00:01:11,959 Speaker 3: not just people, it's not just talking. It's cars coming 26 00:01:12,040 --> 00:01:14,840 Speaker 3: and going, it's the bins going out, it's all the refrigeration, 27 00:01:14,959 --> 00:01:18,640 Speaker 3: you know, it's they're actually really noisy that were disturb us. 28 00:01:19,160 --> 00:01:21,440 Speaker 3: We've been running the Deckchair Cinema for a long time. 29 00:01:21,480 --> 00:01:24,360 Speaker 3: It's thriving. Fifty thousand people through the door last year. 30 00:01:24,400 --> 00:01:27,119 Speaker 3: Were a really important tourist attraction for the city, and 31 00:01:27,200 --> 00:01:29,679 Speaker 3: we should be thinking about how we can protect the cinema. 32 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:32,840 Speaker 1: I read an online poll the other day that support 33 00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:36,120 Speaker 1: for and against this proposal really is fifty to fifty. 34 00:01:36,640 --> 00:01:39,119 Speaker 1: Are you surprised at how divisive this has become. 35 00:01:40,160 --> 00:01:41,240 Speaker 2: It is very divisive. 36 00:01:41,720 --> 00:01:43,880 Speaker 3: I can say in my opinion that there's not much 37 00:01:43,920 --> 00:01:46,960 Speaker 3: public support for it to proceed. The media is very 38 00:01:46,959 --> 00:01:50,080 Speaker 3: good at showing an unbiased view. But we started a 39 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:53,920 Speaker 3: petition and that reached the eleven thousand signatures. When we 40 00:01:53,960 --> 00:01:55,760 Speaker 3: started that, we knew what the result was going to be. 41 00:01:55,760 --> 00:01:57,440 Speaker 3: You don't start a petition if you think that nobody's 42 00:01:57,440 --> 00:01:59,160 Speaker 3: going to sign it. We know that the public doesn't 43 00:01:59,160 --> 00:02:01,560 Speaker 3: support this. They also knew that we were running a 44 00:02:01,560 --> 00:02:03,800 Speaker 3: petition and had a lot of opportunity if they wanted 45 00:02:03,840 --> 00:02:05,240 Speaker 3: to poll the public, they could have. 46 00:02:05,480 --> 00:02:06,680 Speaker 2: They didn't because they knew that. 47 00:02:06,680 --> 00:02:09,080 Speaker 3: There wasn't that much public support for them to develop 48 00:02:09,120 --> 00:02:12,040 Speaker 3: the esplanade. We're talking about deck Chair Cinema, but a 49 00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:14,680 Speaker 3: lot of our members are concerned about development on the esplanad. 50 00:02:14,800 --> 00:02:15,560 Speaker 2: We've protected that. 51 00:02:15,600 --> 00:02:18,079 Speaker 3: It's one of the most important public spaces in the city. 52 00:02:18,680 --> 00:02:21,560 Speaker 3: We've protected that for a long time. This council and 53 00:02:21,600 --> 00:02:24,680 Speaker 3: the administration shouldn't be looking at the public land in 54 00:02:24,720 --> 00:02:27,840 Speaker 3: the city the public open spaces and parks as assets 55 00:02:27,880 --> 00:02:30,800 Speaker 3: that they can rent out on a commercial basis. It's 56 00:02:30,880 --> 00:02:34,760 Speaker 3: highly inappropriate and we hope that they'll reconsider it tonight. 57 00:02:34,960 --> 00:02:37,720 Speaker 1: Is that part of what this debate comes down to 58 00:02:37,919 --> 00:02:40,280 Speaker 1: is it's not an argument or a war of the 59 00:02:40,320 --> 00:02:43,480 Speaker 1: dick ches Cinema versus the RSL, but it's more about 60 00:02:43,720 --> 00:02:45,880 Speaker 1: protecting that area. And I guess the fact that you 61 00:02:45,919 --> 00:02:48,800 Speaker 1: guys don't want any development in that car park. 62 00:02:50,280 --> 00:02:52,440 Speaker 3: Our members don't want any development in that car park. 63 00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:56,639 Speaker 3: Talking from the cinema's perspective, we don't want a development 64 00:02:56,639 --> 00:02:59,079 Speaker 3: that's going to disrupt our operations and force us to close. 65 00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:02,840 Speaker 3: The public's point of view is generally that that's a 66 00:03:02,880 --> 00:03:05,920 Speaker 3: place for reflection and the whole esplanade an open space 67 00:03:06,040 --> 00:03:08,079 Speaker 3: open for all the public. It shouldn't be given over 68 00:03:08,120 --> 00:03:12,360 Speaker 3: to any private club properly, to developer or business for 69 00:03:12,400 --> 00:03:15,800 Speaker 3: a proper you know, to make money there. That's what 70 00:03:15,840 --> 00:03:19,440 Speaker 3: our members are concerned about. The debate has focused around 71 00:03:19,440 --> 00:03:22,160 Speaker 3: the cinema a lot, but it is a much wider 72 00:03:22,200 --> 00:03:27,320 Speaker 3: issue about the public open spaces and the council seeking 73 00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:29,239 Speaker 3: to rent them out on a commercial basis. 74 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:32,080 Speaker 1: Could there still be a way that both you and 75 00:03:32,120 --> 00:03:34,320 Speaker 1: the RSL can operate together? I mean, there's still a 76 00:03:34,400 --> 00:03:37,040 Speaker 1: lot of hurdles. Should this past council tonight, there's still 77 00:03:37,440 --> 00:03:39,520 Speaker 1: more hurdles that they would have to go through. 78 00:03:40,160 --> 00:03:41,360 Speaker 2: But is there a way that. 79 00:03:41,320 --> 00:03:43,360 Speaker 1: The RSL have you sat down and spoken to them 80 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:46,480 Speaker 1: that they could put in noise mitigation or ways to 81 00:03:46,560 --> 00:03:48,840 Speaker 1: reduce their light pollutions so it wouldn't affect the deck 82 00:03:48,880 --> 00:03:49,720 Speaker 1: Chair Cinema. 83 00:03:49,920 --> 00:03:50,160 Speaker 2: Yeah. 84 00:03:50,200 --> 00:03:52,240 Speaker 3: I have to give credit to the RSL because they 85 00:03:52,240 --> 00:03:54,440 Speaker 3: did the right thing that came street to us, and 86 00:03:55,880 --> 00:03:57,160 Speaker 3: all respect to the RSL. 87 00:03:57,360 --> 00:03:58,880 Speaker 2: I if they were. 88 00:03:58,800 --> 00:04:00,880 Speaker 3: Building somewhere that wasn't going to en the cinema, we 89 00:04:00,920 --> 00:04:03,600 Speaker 3: would be supporting them in general if it wasn't in 90 00:04:03,640 --> 00:04:07,440 Speaker 3: one of the important public spaces. But in this instance, 91 00:04:07,440 --> 00:04:09,720 Speaker 3: they're building in a spot that puts in a difficult 92 00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:12,480 Speaker 3: position where we have to defend ourselves. But they did 93 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:14,520 Speaker 3: come to us. They're going to say that the magic 94 00:04:14,520 --> 00:04:17,200 Speaker 3: of architecture, they're going to reinvent how you can run 95 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:17,640 Speaker 3: a club. 96 00:04:19,240 --> 00:04:22,080 Speaker 2: That's fantastic. I don't think that's going to happen. Looking 97 00:04:22,080 --> 00:04:23,039 Speaker 2: at every other puck and. 98 00:04:23,040 --> 00:04:25,640 Speaker 3: Club around the world, nobody else has managed to do that. 99 00:04:25,800 --> 00:04:28,160 Speaker 3: I don't believe that the RSL is going to manage 100 00:04:28,160 --> 00:04:32,400 Speaker 3: to reinvent the wheel this time and have a silent 101 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:34,720 Speaker 3: club on the hill behind our. 102 00:04:34,640 --> 00:04:37,400 Speaker 1: Screen, because they have put their argument has been that 103 00:04:37,440 --> 00:04:40,800 Speaker 1: it will be a family friendly club, and they've put 104 00:04:40,839 --> 00:04:43,920 Speaker 1: a lot of emphasis around that. So you reckon even 105 00:04:43,960 --> 00:04:46,960 Speaker 1: with the emphasis on that, and it's not going to 106 00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:49,559 Speaker 1: be a nightclub or a roundy venue, that it would 107 00:04:49,560 --> 00:04:51,600 Speaker 1: still affect the dick Chest Cinema to the point where 108 00:04:51,640 --> 00:04:52,320 Speaker 1: you'd have to close. 109 00:04:52,839 --> 00:04:56,960 Speaker 3: Well, when you think about noise of the cinema if 110 00:04:56,960 --> 00:04:59,000 Speaker 3: you went to a cinema and someone, let's say, someone 111 00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:03,000 Speaker 3: listened to music on the for the whole film, not loudly, 112 00:05:03,080 --> 00:05:06,000 Speaker 3: just quietly, you know, maybe being considerate, but actually that's 113 00:05:06,080 --> 00:05:08,520 Speaker 3: very inconsiderate and it would drive you nuts. Imagine happen 114 00:05:08,640 --> 00:05:11,000 Speaker 3: every time you went to the cinema that somebody answered 115 00:05:11,040 --> 00:05:12,520 Speaker 3: the phone and talked the whole way through, or a 116 00:05:12,560 --> 00:05:14,280 Speaker 3: group of people had a conversation at the back. They 117 00:05:14,279 --> 00:05:16,279 Speaker 3: weren't watching the film, you know, it wasn't anything to 118 00:05:16,279 --> 00:05:19,360 Speaker 3: do with them. They were having their own thing. Yeah, 119 00:05:19,480 --> 00:05:21,880 Speaker 3: it'd be massively damaging for a cinema if that happened. 120 00:05:22,839 --> 00:05:24,800 Speaker 3: It doesn't take a lot of noise. We're very sensitive. 121 00:05:25,680 --> 00:05:28,560 Speaker 3: That's an outdoor cinema. That's the reality of running an 122 00:05:28,560 --> 00:05:29,640 Speaker 3: outdoor cinema. 123 00:05:29,920 --> 00:05:31,599 Speaker 1: How do you think council will vote tonight? 124 00:05:32,800 --> 00:05:36,000 Speaker 3: Well, there's someone council that are dead for this to 125 00:05:36,040 --> 00:05:40,159 Speaker 3: go ahead. Some of them haven't visited the cinema. Disappointingly, 126 00:05:40,200 --> 00:05:41,640 Speaker 3: I would have hoped that they would have come to 127 00:05:41,680 --> 00:05:43,880 Speaker 3: the cinema to understand how important it is for the 128 00:05:43,920 --> 00:05:47,719 Speaker 3: people of Darwin before making decisions for the people of Darwin. 129 00:05:48,960 --> 00:05:51,479 Speaker 3: Some of them are against it. Some of them, I 130 00:05:51,520 --> 00:05:55,520 Speaker 3: don't know. Yeah, so we'll have to see. I'm really 131 00:05:55,560 --> 00:05:58,000 Speaker 3: hoping that they listened to We've got a thousand, two 132 00:05:58,080 --> 00:06:00,760 Speaker 3: hundred members and eleven thousand people sign a petition. I 133 00:06:00,760 --> 00:06:02,400 Speaker 3: don't know what the record number of people sign a 134 00:06:02,400 --> 00:06:05,960 Speaker 3: petition to counselors, but it's not it's way less than that. 135 00:06:06,080 --> 00:06:08,039 Speaker 3: No one's ever put a petition to counsel with that 136 00:06:08,120 --> 00:06:09,120 Speaker 3: many signatures on it. 137 00:06:09,320 --> 00:06:11,599 Speaker 1: You worried the odds are stacked against you, given that 138 00:06:11,640 --> 00:06:15,279 Speaker 1: the executive staff for recommending elected members providing principal support. 139 00:06:15,720 --> 00:06:20,840 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean it's been Yeah. I mean, looking at that, 140 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:22,240 Speaker 2: that's that's not good. 141 00:06:22,279 --> 00:06:26,640 Speaker 3: It's it sort of sets them on the front foot that. Yeah, 142 00:06:27,279 --> 00:06:30,200 Speaker 3: and the mayor has been very vocally supportive of the RSL. 143 00:06:30,640 --> 00:06:33,360 Speaker 3: He came out immediately saying the Deccha cinema has to move. 144 00:06:34,120 --> 00:06:36,320 Speaker 3: He retracted that and then he put it out again. 145 00:06:38,120 --> 00:06:42,200 Speaker 3: So he's not concerned by the Deuccha Cinema. And he's 146 00:06:42,320 --> 00:06:45,400 Speaker 3: very supportive of the RSL. He's a member of the RSL. 147 00:06:45,760 --> 00:06:47,560 Speaker 3: I'm not sure if he'll be voting on this. He 148 00:06:47,640 --> 00:06:50,320 Speaker 3: did declare a conflict of interest in the public forum. 149 00:06:50,680 --> 00:06:52,919 Speaker 3: I visited. He did say he wouldn't vote on it, 150 00:06:53,279 --> 00:06:55,440 Speaker 3: But I haven't seen any conflicts of interest come up 151 00:06:55,480 --> 00:06:57,919 Speaker 3: in the Council of Gender. I don't really understand the 152 00:06:57,920 --> 00:07:00,640 Speaker 3: councilor genders. There's a lot of stuff in there. I'm 153 00:07:00,680 --> 00:07:04,200 Speaker 3: not across it, but i'd be yeah, i'd be pretty 154 00:07:04,200 --> 00:07:05,320 Speaker 3: sure that he'll vote tonight. 155 00:07:05,720 --> 00:07:08,320 Speaker 1: What's your understanding on what happens next on are if 156 00:07:08,320 --> 00:07:10,600 Speaker 1: it gets over the line and be if it's rejected. 157 00:07:12,080 --> 00:07:13,960 Speaker 3: If it's rejected, it's the end of the road for 158 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:17,800 Speaker 3: this development. Yeah, we can operate the cinema as we 159 00:07:17,840 --> 00:07:22,960 Speaker 3: have done successfully since two thousand and three on our site. 160 00:07:23,640 --> 00:07:26,080 Speaker 3: If it gets voted in, there's a long road ahead 161 00:07:26,360 --> 00:07:33,600 Speaker 3: of planning, development approvals, getting designs. We've had to oppose 162 00:07:33,640 --> 00:07:36,760 Speaker 3: us with very little information, So if it does go through, 163 00:07:36,960 --> 00:07:40,160 Speaker 3: at least we'll get some more information, some actual concrete 164 00:07:40,400 --> 00:07:45,480 Speaker 3: plans and not just proposals and emotive images. 165 00:07:45,520 --> 00:07:47,480 Speaker 1: So even if obviously it does get over the line tonight, 166 00:07:47,520 --> 00:07:49,440 Speaker 1: it's certainly not the end for you at the deck 167 00:07:49,480 --> 00:07:51,840 Speaker 1: Chair Cinema, though it is. 168 00:07:52,320 --> 00:07:54,120 Speaker 3: It's not the end for us at the deck Chair Cinema, 169 00:07:54,240 --> 00:07:59,480 Speaker 3: but it is the going down the road of a 170 00:07:59,600 --> 00:08:01,960 Speaker 3: very differ path for the cinema. 171 00:08:02,280 --> 00:08:05,000 Speaker 1: What's your final message to those elected members who are 172 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:06,080 Speaker 1: going to vote on this tonight. 173 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:08,160 Speaker 2: They should listen to public opinion. 174 00:08:08,320 --> 00:08:11,280 Speaker 3: I mean, they've been contacted thousands of times by people 175 00:08:11,480 --> 00:08:16,160 Speaker 3: that disagree with development on the esplanade and people that 176 00:08:16,240 --> 00:08:18,680 Speaker 3: see the value in Dextera Cinema as a tourist attraction. 177 00:08:19,920 --> 00:08:20,360 Speaker 2: They should be. 178 00:08:20,360 --> 00:08:24,920 Speaker 3: Listening to the ratepayers and the residents and protecting I mean, 179 00:08:25,000 --> 00:08:27,640 Speaker 3: especially in a year like this, to endanger one of 180 00:08:27,720 --> 00:08:33,200 Speaker 3: your important tourist attractions just seems complete nonsense. So hopefully 181 00:08:33,240 --> 00:08:36,280 Speaker 3: they'll listen to that and reconsider. 182 00:08:37,840 --> 00:08:40,440 Speaker 1: James Parker from the deck Chair Cinema, good luck tonight, 183 00:08:40,559 --> 00:08:42,360 Speaker 1: and thank you so much for your time this morning. 184 00:08:42,600 --> 00:08:43,160 Speaker 2: Thanks so much