Author: pooroldhenry

THE NT IS LIKE EMPEROR NERO

THE NT IS JUST ‘FIDDLING AROUND’

I came to the Northern Territory in 1975 and have followed self government with interest since that time. As a school principal, it paid me to be a political, commenting on issues and ideas but never attacking people and their personalities The ‘message’ rather than the ‘messenger’ needed to be the emphasis. Or otherwise, playing thee ball and not the man (or woman).

I have watched the NT evolve over the years and sadly, feel that it is now downhill. There are lots of reasons for this, but they sum up on the fact that since 2000, the focus of ‘living beyond our means’ has come increasingly into play. Monetarily, we have borrowed more and more and been self reliant and self independent less and less. Policies have been about short term gain for long term pain and that is still the case.

We have reached rock bottom! Is our government going to look up and reverse our fascination with debt and indebtedness, or will it start to dig into the bedrock of what has become our realisation of despair.

WHEN YOUR GOVERNMENT IS BORROWING $4,000,000 A DAY TO FUND SALARIES AND SERVICE THE INTEREST DUE ON PREVIOUS BORROWINGS, WE HAVE WELL AND TRULY REACHED ROCK BOTTOM!

Is it SA or Commonwealth management for us? As an entity we are finished.

PILL SWALLOWERS HOLD GUN TO THEIR OWN HEADS

At the risk of sounding hard hearted or callous, I am at a loss to understand why people are becoming so passionate about pill testing at musical events and other mass gatherings of people. Testing does not legitimise the fact that what people are doing is illegal.

What happens to the tested pills? Are they given back to the ‘owners’ to be taken with a glass of water? Does not the act of testing, make the tester a party to illegal behaviour in an aiding and abetting context?

Whether they are ‘safe’ or ‘unsafe’ the possessors will in all likelihood swallow them anyway.

People have a choice and if they choose after all the warnings and advice to swallow these things, then their destiny in in their hands. I do not feel empathy toward those who play Russian roulette with their bodies and minds.

The irony is, that those who reduce themselves deliberately undermining their physical and mental capacities by swallowing these noxious substances, can then line up for inclusion in the NDIS, paid for in large part by our taxation.

We need to go after the purveyors of these substances and if ringleaders of supply groups are caught, capital punishment should be an option of judicial consequence. However, the onus for their behaviour is on pill swallowers. Society as a whole is not to blame for the consequences of their actions.

2//1/2019

A HAPPY, BLESSED 2019

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO LINKED IN USERS

i just wanted to wish everyone who uses Linked In, the very best for the New Year. I hope that 2019 brings you all blessings, rewards (extrinsic and intrinsic) and joy. May we all meet challenges with positive mind sets and may we all learn to rejoice (quietly and not boastfully) in the things we do well. May we remember to appreciate others, being liberal with the bouquets while shelving the brickbats. May leaders of organisations dedicate themselves to a synergistic approach, valuing the collective and not seeking to personalise decision making unto themselves alone.

May we consider others as well as ourselves. May we remember to prioritise our families and loved ones, never taking them for granted.

May we review each day as it happens and ends, with each day of 2019 being a new page in our lives.

Go well and travel kindly.

Regards

Henry Gray 1/1/2019

TURBULENCE WITHIN THE NT GOVERMENT

NT POLITICS – WHEN IT RAINS, IT POURS

WOW!!

The NT Chief Minister Michael Gunner, on holiday in New Zealand, today dismissed Ken Vowles from the ministry. Vowles, Tony Collins (Assistant Minister) and Scott McConnell (backbencher) were voted by the rest of the Labor Caucas out of the caucas. It could be they are expelled from the Labor Party.

When things happen up here, they happen.

Mr Vowles was an excellent minister, axed for straight talking about the state of our Territory economy. He apparently broke the rule of ‘thou shalt bot speak without clearance’.

Mr Gunner has cut short his holiday and is winging his way back to Darwin to look at the ramifications of today’s decisions. And there will be significant outfall from today’s happenings.

Mr Vowles was Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Primary Industry and Resources and the Arafura Games. He has handled those portfolios excellently and is highly regarded by many of those with whom he interacted. He is a person for whom I have a great deal of respect and his departure will leave positions that will take a lot of filling.

There is an interesting juxtaposition built into this situation. In 2013, while overseas representing the NT in Japan, then Chief Minister Terry Mills was voted out of his position by the CLP parliamentary wing. Five years later in 2018, the Chief Minister Michael Gunner, while holidaying in New Zealand has dismissed Mr Vowles from the ministry of the Labor Government.

THE NT IS IN DIRE STRAITS

The Northern Territory is Bankrupt

NTG is going In hand of the federal government asking for yet another financial bail-out because the present state of finances in the Northern Territory means the government is not sustainable. The Northern Territory government is expanding in order of $4 million a day more than it has in terms of revenue coming in. That is in order of $760,000,000 a year.

The Northern Territory government is broke. It cannot sustain itself. At present the Northern Territory government is borrowing money to pay salaries and entitlements out to people. It is also borrowing to pay the interest bill on previous borrowings. Yet it is still handing out grants to sporting, social and other organisations as if $100 bills were autumn leaves! Where is the sense of accountability and responsibility?

And why would the Chief Minister lie low on the subject for several days before leaving town on overseas holiday?

What For and Where to Now?

Treasurer Nicole Manison is going to Federal Treasurer Josh Fridenberg seeking additional funding as a bailout package.

This is not with standing additional monies that have been acquired by the local government from federal largesse during the past few months.

The Northern Territory government is so broke that it is capable of sustaining only 50% of the programs that has in place.

The Territory is a breadbasket case. In terms of our capacity to run our financial affairs, we have gone from princely management to a position of abject pauperism. We are in dire straits and no bailout will fix our long term profligate attitude. So much money is wasted without thought.

Only a return to management by Canberra will fix the mess in which we find ourselves.

DON’T EXCUSE LAWBREAKING CHILDREN

THE AGE OF CRIMINAL RESPONSIBILITY

There are moves afoot for the age of criminal responsibility to be raised to 14 years in the NT.

“All States and self-governing Territories of Australia have adopted 10 years of age as a uniform age of criminal responsibility.

Doli incapax refers to a presumption that a child is “incapable of crime” under legislation or common law. Or rather, the presumption that a child cannot form mens rea as they do not yet have a sufficient understanding between “right and wrong”. In the context of Australian law, doli incapax acts as a rebuttable presumption for children aged at least 10 but less than 14.” (Wikipedia)

Some say 14 is too young. It should be 16.

All this is utter rot and twaddle. It needs to be left right where it is because children of 10 and older know exactly what they are doing when they commit criminal acts. If there are those who believe this nonsense, they also believe that schools should not have rules about behaviour and discipline policies supporting the efforts educators make to help children grow into decent citizens. They would also abhor and ridicule the efforts of parents to raise their children in the right ways of life.

Sadly, many young people growing up on the wrong side of the law, have uncaring parents.  Too many children are left to their own devices because of parental apathy.

That is a point of absolute fact.

The sins of children should be visited upon them.  And in many instances those sins should be visited upon parents who have not been responsible or accountable for the upbringing of their children.

 

DARWIN – ITS ‘CORE’ HAS COLLAPSED, ITS ‘SOUL’ IS EMPTY

CITY OF DARWIN DEMISE – IT’S ‘CORE’ HAS COLLAPSED AND IT’S ‘SOUL’ IS EMPTY

Fixing the CBD has been about plan saturation and what often turns out to be wasted money on half baked ideas for years and years and years. The mall has been modified in a ‘tinsel and glitter’ sense by modification after modification … at least four times. The CBD situation has been about wasted money and the place is getting worse and worse.

We have lived in Darwin for 31 years and before that elsewhere around the NT. In that time, the city has turned into a place of atmospheric decrepidness. I would no more take our grandchildren into the CBD, other than for medical appointments, than fly in the air.

But don’t fret! The older suburbs have suffered similar demise. The integrated housing policy has played a part in this, along with the city council paying scant attention to the appearance of street verges, most parks and the majority of public spaces. Of course, the itinerant invasion has not helped when it comes to public spaces and parks, but government at both local and territory level is unable, unwilling ore not wanting to do anything about alleviation and fixing the issues.

The city, suburbs, shopping centres, schools, commercial, industrial, retail businesses or areas helped by being broken into nights on end.

THERE IS MORE to this issue and the NT News regularly calls the problems out. We have lived in the same house in the same street since arriving in Darwin and the issues of itinerancy, vagrancy, integrated housing policies, run down public housing (three houses within a radius of 400 metres from where we live) are alive, ‘well’ and growing all around us in the Northern Suburbs. These issues are not seen or understood by most of our politicans, many of our aldermen , the majority of our senior public servants, nor our lawmakers. These people move into the new suburbs, into city apartments, down to Cullen Bay, Bayview, upmarket Larrakeyah and scattered, gated pockets of exclusive residential living.

From a ‘living’ point of view, they have no clues about life and living in the older suburbs – which were once comfortable and decent with well kept yards and street frontage. They have ‘escaped’ and the matters of which I speak confront them only when it comes to election time. And then I am convinced they visit into their electorates and briefly as possible and often with closed eyes of mind and awareness.

The city centre, immediate surrounds and suburbs have issues that no amount of capital works injection will fix.

A sad misnomer is the belief that tou will fix the city. It can’t and it won’t. The city and suburbs have to be places that appeal to long term people in a ‘I WANT to be here’ sense. Tourists – and fewer and fewer of them – flit into and out of Darwin and the Territory, often with tales of being bailed up by itinerants or robbed and often with stories of being bemused by vacant shops, little shopping and so on. Long term territory residents are regarded as second class citizens. It is the atmosphere of this place that is all wrong. It is the look and the appearance of this place that has gone to pot.

Too often visions look beyond and overlook reality. Big picture stuff does not hide the present issues confronting this place. Those issues COULD AND SHOULD be addressed, but decision makers and law creators are not game. It’s time for them all to read a copy of Frederick Wirt’s (circa 1992) paper, or to reflect upon his writing (of) ‘will the centre hold’.

CLOSING TITLES

CLOSING TITLES

Only a couple of weeks until the end of the NT school year and that is reflected with slightly earlier or later closures elsewhere around Australia. May all students of all ages be blessed by their efforts and accomplishments this year. May the majority be satisfied with the efforts they have devoted to their studies. May all Year 12 graduates look back with joy upon their primary and secondary years and be blessed in going forward into the future.

May they be determined to be industrious like ants and not idle like grasshoppers. May they become our open, honest and ethical leaders and developers of tomorrow.

‘LONG TERM TERRITORIAN’ REFERENCE GROUP

 

LONG TERM TERRITORIAN REFERENCE GROUP

I wanted to raise an idea that was discussed with me a number of months ago. It transpired that we (the other person and I) were both concerned about the number of new beaut ideas for Territory development being articulated, that are a revisitation of what has already been tried and discarded.

The Issue

The rebirth ‘as new’ of old and dispensed with ideas occurs in large part because of ignorance about our history. One of the standout examples to illustrate my point is that of the CBD and particularly the mall having been re-visited at least four times during my time in the Northern Territory. There are other examples to do with our infrastructure development that have been similarly revisited.

Within departments, the same sort of thing happens. I’m most familiar with education. The idea of regionalising (decentralising function) educational management has been tried at least three times. When revisited nobody takes account of what has gone before. They often don’t know that ideas have been previously tried. That’s because we have a very poor record of recording history in the NT.

Another reason for regurgitation is that people in high level decision making positions often come and go after fairly short periods of time. People new to these positions often don’t know what has gone before. As well, they are often interested in adding their own “personal touch” for the sake of building curriculum vitaes. which will then be used to gain positions elsewhere and generally not in the Territory. The Territory is used as a stepping stone.

The Fix Idea

It seemed as we spoke about this issue, that the Northern Territory Government might give consideration to establishing a group of people who are long-term residents in the Northern Territory. This group might be asked if there is any previous history about ideas being flashed out as “new beaut schemes“.

Our thought was this group might comprise people with background into the operation of various departments and with experience in life and living in the Northern Territory in general terms.

Neither might it be necessary for people to meet physically to consider every issue, rather being asked for feedback by email or by phone on occasion. This will enable people living out of Darwin and Palmerston to be involved.

Our thought wasn’t that this group should be remunerated; that’s not the motivation f everybody who wants to support our territory and see it is a better place. The thinking was that in the interests of avoiding mistakes, particularly where those mistakes might arise from revisiting previous policy that had been discarded, a group of such a nature could lend itself to the betterment of the Territory.

I wanted to share this with you and wondered what you might think about such a development.