The Northern Territory news Tue 28 Feb 2017
NT news
The Northern Territory news; NewspaperNT
2017-02-28
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English
Community newspapers -- Northern Territory -- Darwin; Australian newspapers -- Northern Territory -- Darwin
News Corp Australia
Darwin
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News Corp Australia
https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2019C00042
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/266432
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/450639
TUESDAY FEBRUARY 28 2017 NEWS 05 V1 - NTNE01Z01MA Its Billys Joel MATT CUNNINGHAM Sky News Correspondent Bowden in mix to run for federal Labor Hien Thuch Ta and Jasper Kroger get ready to plant giant pumpkin seeds for the 2017 Royal Darwin Show Picture: IVAN RACHMAN Lift game on violence to women: UN expert A UNITED Nations expert is concerned about the plight of indigenous women who are 34 times more likely to require hospital treatment as a result of domestic violence and up to 3.7 times likely to experience sexual abuse. UN special rapporteur on violence against women Dubravka Simonovic has been on a 15-day fact-finding mission to Alice Springs, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Cherbourg in Queensland. Ms Simonovic urged Australia to lift its game on providing crisis services and shelters for women experiencing domestic violence which is a key cause of homelessness. She criticised the inflexibility of the basics card a cashless debit card used to income-manage welfare payments not being able to cover expenses related to domestic violence victims escapes from danger. The cards are used in some Northern Territory remote communities in an attempt to curb spending on alcohol or gambling. She has called for better mental health care access and alternatives to custodial sentences for those with dependent children. Indigenous women are the fastest growing prison population in Australia. I would urge the government to review a policy of incarceration for unpaid fines, which has a disproportionate effect on the rates of incarceration of Aboriginal women because of the economic and social disadvantage that they face, Ms Simonovic said. She also expressed concern about lax investigations into allegations of rape and sexual abuse of women refugees and asylum seekers in immigration detention on Nauru. Fasting to help ease diabetes A FASTING diet has been shown to reverse diabetes in mice. A US study published in the journal Cell shows the Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD) triggered the re-growth of pancreatic cells in the damaged organ leading to a reduction of symptoms of both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. The results raise the prospect of treating diabetes without the need of insulin regulating drugs, lead researcher Professor Valter Longo from the University of Southern California said. Cycles of fasting-mimicking diet and a normal diet essentially reprogrammed noninsulin producing cells into insulin-producing cells, said Prof Longo. Its estimated around 1.7 million Australians have diabetes. FORMER Richmond AFL player Joel Bowden is shaping as a potential star candidate for the Labor Party at the next federal election. Senior Labor figures have spoken to Bowden to gauge his interest in running in the Northern Territory seat of Lingiari. The seat is held by Labor veteran Warren Snowdon who has been in the federal Parliament for 28 of the past 30 years. But the former minister, who will turn 67 next month, is no certainty to stand at the next election. Mr Snowdon told Sky News he would make a decision about his future in the next 12 months. I will need to be thinking about it in the next 12 months, absolutely, he said. At the moment Im going to be running again but that may change. Mr Snowdon said he was always looking for a potential successor. There are a number of people who I think could be very good, we have just got to wait and see, he said. Many within Labor consider Bowden (inset) an ideal candidate for Lingiari, which takes in all of the Northern Territory except for the greater Darwin region. He has appeal in his home town of Alice Springs but is also well known in the NTs remote communities, where AFL footballers often achieve godlike status. Bowden, who works for the AFL in Darwin, met with Bill Shorten during the Opposition Leaders visit to the Top End for the Bombing of Darwin commemorations last week. The two men enjoyed an early morning jog where its understood they discussed Bowdens future interest in running for Labor. But even with the Opposition Leaders support, Bowdens potential candidacy could face opposition at a local level. Many within NT Labor are still smarting over Julia Gillards decision to parachute celebrity candidate Nova Peris into the NT Senate seat in 2013. Peris lasted just one term before quitting during last years election campaign, catching many, including Mr Shorten, by surprise. Her rushed exit meant NT branch members were again deprived of the opportunity to select her replacement, with the national executive selecting Malarndirri McCarthy. But Bowden is considered a different kettle of fish to Peris. Those who know him say he is a keen follower of politics. He is a former president of the AFL players association, is close to union powerbroker and AFL Commissioner Bill Kelty, and his family have strong ties to the Labor Party. Bowdens brother Sean has long been an adviser to powerful indigenous leaders including Galarrwuy Yunupingu, and his sister-in-law Denise stood unsuccessfully for preselection for the Senate seat vacated by Peris. Under local ALP rules, preselection is meant to be decided by a plebiscite of members in the relevant division. This could set up a showdown between Bowden and Northern Land Council chief executive Joe Morrison, who has also been mentioned as a potential candidate. And while the national executive can step in and enforce its preferred candidate, thats considered unlikely in the wake of the Peris experiment. Students hope to grow some smashing pumpkins pumpkin and tomato for the show in July. Royal Darwin Show chief executive Cherry Court said registrations were open for those aiming to grow the largest pumpkin and tomato for the shows 2017 competition. They have to get the seeds from our office that levels the playing field, she said. Its something anybody can do; all you need is a bit of room in your backyard. The recent rainfalls may prove a bit of a challenge for pumpkin growers though. The rainfall and the weather play a big part, she said. If you plant it and its really wet they can rot its a challenge to grow in the tropics. Alawa Primary School farm manager Libby Smith said the Alawa and Nemarluk students would aim for a 100kg pumpkin but it was all about the fun and education. The call for entries for other Royal Darwin Show competitions begin in May for the show held from July 27 to July 29. STUDENTS Hien Thuc Ta and Jasper Kroger may not like to eat pumpkin, but the pair are confident they can grow one as big as a person. The Royal Darwin Show has set the challenge for green thumbs to produce the biggest TAMARA HOWIE