The NT News continues to diversify with sections now included in some issues for the Palmerston and Rural areas and now Central Australia. Diversification. Moving with the times is important; however, I wish that those shaping our paper sometimes revisited past years with a view to reinstating some of the features that were embraced by readership at the time.

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I just picked up an empty cigarette packet and put it in the bin. It says in large letters on the opening flap, “quitting will improve your health”. It seems to me that at $1.71 a cigarette (the cost these days) that quitting would also improve in the financial position of those who smoke.

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The Rotary Club criticism of Michael Gunner for not participating in a gathering of Fannie Bay candidates is unfortunate. Doubtless, his visit to Wadeye would in part be to offer support and reassurance to residents who are confronting the realities of COVID-19. His most immediate priority is looking after us in the face of this perilous virus. He is putting the needs of Territorians ahead of his personal agenda and that is the hallmark of a good leader.

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The image (NT News 3/7) of people literally crushing together on arrival at the Darwin Airport as they awaited COVID-19 assessment filled me with alarm.

Surely airport security, staff and the police contingent can require people to observe physical distancing rules. This deliberate avoidance of this most basic rule filled me with foreboding. There is no room for this violation.

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I wish that reporters and journalists would not ask the same questions of political leaders and health officials say after day and even during the same news conference.

They need to learn to listen to answers and also should not ask questions in a way that puts words into the mouths of those being questioned. Those reporting should avoid creating a questioning atmosphere that is antagonistic rather than clarifying and supportive of overall efforts by these authorities.

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I am intrigued by the lead story in the Sunday Territorian (Senior cop’s lead foot 5/7). What was its point when the senior officer was not named, the speed being done was not revealed, the time and location of the offence was not given and the fine amount was not disclosed.

What is the point of a front page story wrapped in such vagueness?

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Little news about the extent of damage done to the Darwin Correctional Centre during the recent jail riot has been released to the public. I believe the full picture of damage should be released because it is our money, through tax contribution, that will be used to restore damaged facilities. A $40 million repair bill must have meant that massive damage was done to the centre.

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The vegetation and environmental upgrade to the CBD entrance via Daly Street is spellbinding. People coming to work from Daly Street are going to experience the natural beauty and artistic enhancement of this city entrance on a daily basis. This wonderful exposure will be a fantastic way to start each working day.

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The Victorian Coronavirus surge is almost tsunami like. With our borders opening in a fortnight we can but fervently hope that our Chief Minister will keep the NT firmly closed to all Victorians. We cannot afford to entertain visitors from any state with such an alarming rate of COVID-19 increase. We need to join with Queensland, SA and WA in keeping our borders closed to all Victorians.

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Matt Cunningham’s column (‘Get on with governing’, NT News, 27/6 is spot on. Too often politicans seem to be there for themselves rather than as elected persons charged with leading for Territory enhancement and the good of all Territorians. The energies of our politicans should be focussed on building their electorates and the NT as a whole. Instead, parliamentary sitting weeks are too often reduced to tatters by poor behaviour and spiteful antics. As Cunningham says, we deserve better.

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The most obvious way to the future for the AFL in this COVID-19 disrupted season is to uplift all Victorian based teams to hubs in SA, WA, Queensland and possibly the NT. After quarantining and Victorian teams have played all teams in one hub, they move to the next hub . Victorian teams play each other on a rotation within interstate hubs. Finals should be played within the hub structure.

POINTS TO PONDER

Matt Cunningham’s column (‘Get on with governing’, NT News, 27/6 is spot on. Too often politicans seem to be there for themselves rather than as ejected persons charged with leading for Territory enhancement and the good of all Territorians. The energies of our politicans should be focussed on building their electorates and the NT as a whole. Instead, parliamentary sitting weeks are too often reduced to tatters by poor behaviour and spiteful antics. As Cunningham says, we des we deserve better.

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The most obvious way to the future for the AFL in this COVID-19 disrupted season is to uplift all Victorian based teams to hubs in SA, WA, Queensland and possibly the NT. After quarantining and Victorian teams have played all teams in one hub, they move to the next hub . Victorian teams play each other on a rotation within interstate hubs. Finals should be played within the hub structure.

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It is a great pity that Rio Tinto acted far too quickly in closing its alumina refinery at Gove. Following the closure, the price of oil used to fire the power station started coming down while the price of alumina started going up. This effectively reversed the economic situation Rio faced at the time of closure. Sometimes it pays to hold on, rather than taking economic decisions which turn out to be made hastily and prematurely.

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POINTS TO PONDER

Matt Cunningham’s column (‘Get on with governing’, NT News, 27/6 is spot on. Too often politicans seem to be there for themselves rather than as ejected persons charged with leading for Territory enhancement and the good of all Territorians. The energies of our politicans should be focussed on building their electorates and the NT as a whole. Instead, parliamentary sitting weeks are too often reduced to tatters by poor behaviour and spiteful antics. As Cunningham says, we des we deserve better.

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The most obvious way to the future for the AFL in this COVID-19 disrupted season is to uplift all Victorian based teams to hubs in SA, WA, Queensland and possibly the NT. After quarantining and Victorian teams have played all teams in one hub, they move to the next hub . Victorian teams play each other on a rotation within interstate hubs. Finals should be played within the hub structure.

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It is a great pity that Rio Tinto acted far too quickly in closing its alumina refinery at Gove. Following the closure, the price of oil used to fire the power station started coming down while the price of alumina started going up. This effectively reversed the economic situation Rio faced at the time of closure. Sometimes it pays to hold on, rather than taking economic decisions which turn out to be made hastily and prematurely.

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June 26 2020 was a sad day in the history of newspaper production in the NT. The print version of the ‘Centralian Advocate’ is no more. The online alternative will provide some comfort to readers but nothing beats the reassurance of a ‘paper paper’ in the hands of readers.

Thanks for the years of the CA’s print version.

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Businesses and residents in Nhulunbuy were AGAIN faced with a loss of power. This time m from 10:45 pm on 25/6 until restoration mid afternoon on 26/6. The power was out for 17 hours and kisses by some businesses were substantial. Short and long power outages, usually without notice, have regularly occurred for the past 18 months. Businesses are being disrupted and residents lives impacted by the lack of a predictable and guaranteed power supply.

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Who wouldn’t want to be like Mr Lantry and collect $2310 a day to support the TA leader. This may have been casual employment but north of $9K for four days is good take home money. I’d LOVE to know the weekly salary bill for the parliamentary staff cohort supporting the three major parties. Bet it’s well north of $1 million.

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BLM and other rallies proliferating around Australia are obviously playing a part in the incidence of recent COVID-19 cases. But the major danger is the attitude of complacency that seems to be embracing the thinking of an unceasing number of people. The virus has the capacity to impact the lives of every Australian and to think otherwise is foolishness. Awareness and vigilance needs to be constant.

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A lot of the cautionary patterns of our initial living with C-19 have been watered down, in large part because of quarantine fatigue and general impatience. Those changes, coupled with a misplaced belief in invincibility, could be our undoing.

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It irks me that TA and CLP politicans have been sniping at the Chief Minister over NT border closure almost from day one of the lockdown. Border closure has been totally necessary and that is still the case. Our Chief Minister cries more about people and lives than about money and business profit derived from arrivals who could be C-19 carriers. All credit to him and the values he espouses.

It will take a lot more than street art to attract many people back into the Central Business District.I think I understand some of the reasoning behind street art and have made suggestions in the past about recording and producing material artefacts that people can purchase. Details about the artwork, its creation, the artists, and other background information could be useful.

I’ve doubt very much that anything will happen along the lines of any permanent recording but that should not be the case.

That aside, it’s going to take a lot more than street art and minerals on buildings to attract people into the CBD. There are too many underlying issues to do with social protocols and behaviour that need to be corrected – however very little is done about those things.

It seems to me that the major focus of the City of Darwin Council and various other organisations set up to look at developing the CBD I only ever intent on considering things from the viewpoint of tourists and tourist attractions. Somehow, the CBD needs to be made a place more relevant to those of us who live here. That’s particularly the case for those in the suburbs.

Slim Dusty in one of his songs once described Darwin, at that stage a small and quite insula city as “the big heart of the north“.

Sadly and unfortunately the notion of the big heart has been replaced and Darwin City has become rather a dead heart.

Territorians cannot fail to be impressed by the quality and calibre of candidates for the August 22 election who are being unveiled by their respective parties. With 77days to go (June 6) we can look forward to hundreds of media stories thousands of political pamphlets and a festoon of facial flutes adorning public spaces everywhere.

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Prior to the election our government should reveal the state of Territory finances. The leaders of our three major political parties should consider and debate the issue of financial repair and their intentions for the NT in a debate that is covered by media. Voters deserve to be furnished with the facts about our financial position. Vagaries on the issue are not good enough.

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The revelation that pubs, clubs, entertainment and gambling are the most important things to celebrate as COVID-19 restrictions lift is amazing. It seems that the more serious aspects of life and living are less important than the opportunity to indulge in costly social pleasures that do little to correct the management of household budgets.

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Allowing people to dip into their superannuation has been altogether a wrong concession.

Allowance was “to make ends meet” but 2/3 of the expenditure has been in lifestyle and discretionary expenditure. This unwise decision will haunt them in years to come.

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We can anticipate a rush of people from communities back into Darwin and Palmerston once biosecurity borders are lifted on June 5. I pray that law and order will continue to prevail and that public behaviour, often occasioned by the consumption of alcohol, will not deteriorate.

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Forgive the 12 yo girl who helped a peer break into an Adelaide bank while she was on bail for an earlier offence. It’s not her fault.

It seems that in the eyes of many connected with compliance with the law she is too young to understand the gravity of such an act.

In fact, according to a growing chorus of those within support organisations and the legal fraternity, she cannot be held to understand the difference between right and wrong until she is 14.

Is this attitude for real??

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Allowing people to dip into their superannuation has been altogether a wrong concession. The Australian Government has gotten this wrong.

The site allowing people to transact withdrawals was poorly set up. Checks and balances to establish the genuineness of inquiry were not adequate, enabling scanners to access accounts and organise withdrawals. There will be a substantial amount of money government will have to fund for reimbursement if faked withdrawals.

The allowance of withdrawal of funds from superannuation accounts was “to make ends meet” but two thirds of the expenditure has been on lifestyle and discretionary expenditure.

“Australians dipping into their superannuation nest-egg during the coronavirus crisis have spent nearly $3000 more than normal in the fortnight after receiving the lump sum and about two-thirds of the additional purchases were on non-essentials including gambling, alcohol and furniture.” SMH 1/6

Eligibility criteria has been loose, encouraging over 1.5 million people to dip into their super savings. This decision will return to haunt them in years to come.

It will be the taxpayer who will have to pay by way of contributing to the pensions of those who, in 2019-20 and 2020-21 withdrew up to $20,000 from superannuation accounts. They are going to sustain exponential losses in terms of compounding interest that has been forgone.