The Northern Territory news Tue 3 Jan 2017
NT news
The Northern Territory news; NewspaperNT
2017-01-03
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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/10070/265992
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/455291
TUESDAY JANUARY 3 2017 NEWS 07 V2 - NTNE01Z01MAV2 - NTNE01Z01MA Abbott calls to axe $40m in aid FORMER prime minister Tony Abbott wants Australia to suspend aid to the Palestinian Authority because it keeps paying pensions to terrorists and their families. He made the call in an opinion piece published in The Spectator Magazine on Monday. Australias aid program to Palestine is more than $40 million a year and is provided via United Nations agencies and some charity organisations. The money goes towards projects to provide Palestinian refugees with basic services such as health, education, water and sanitation. Last year, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade suspended aid to World Visions work in the Palestinian Territories in the wake of allegations the charitys head in Gaza funnelled millions of dollars to militant group Hamas. The organisation has de nied the claims which are subject to court proceedings. Mr Abbott also flagged that Australia could demonstrate unswerving support for Israel by joining any move by the incoming Trump administration to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Mr Abbott recently returned from a trip to the Middle East along with Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and other federal MPs. Melbournes crap beaches SWIMMERS are being warned of gastro risk at Melbourne beaches because recent heavy storms have washed poo into Port Phillip Bay. Environmental Protection Victorias website has listed 21 of the 36 beaches it monitors around the bay as having poor water quality yesterday, meaning the water is not suitable for swimming. The EPAs Anthony Boxshall said waste had washed into the bay following last weeks heavy storms and the more recent, lighter rainfall. We have indicators we look for (in water tests), which is an indicator of faecal contamination, which is a really nice way of saying poo, Dr Boxshall said yesterday. Swimmers who ingest contaminated water have a higher risk of getting gastroenteritis and other illnesses, particularly the elderly and children. TUESDAY JANUARY 3 2017 NEWS 07 The pint-sized (by Territory standards) animal sparked a panic among the fragile Queenslanders, who called in the police. Coppers arrived and attempted to shepherd it back to the river with a blockade of wheelie bins, before construct The Sunshine State may think they have the edge on the Territory when it comes to big salties, but theres no disputing the true home of the monster croc. We even keep them as pets up here, while Queenslanders cant even keep rabbits Queenslanders trying to steal our croc crown THEYRE the symbol of the Northern Territory but could Queensland be about to steal our mantle as the worlds crocodile capital? Not bloody likely, if the NT News has anything to say about it. A spate of croc sightings in Queensland has some deluded banana benders boasting that their crocs are superior to our mighty saltwater dinosaurs. A cute little 3.5m saltie amusingly described by The Courier-Mail as mammoth was found sunning itself in a suburban backyard on New Years Eve in the Queensland fishing town of Karumba. ing a pen of hay bales to keep it contained. No Territory crocodile would ever be kept restrained by a bit of hay. On a crocodile yarn-induced high, one Courier-Mail journalist issued the NT News with a threat that Queensland would overtake the NT as home to the greatest crocs in 2017. But backyard crocs are by no means unusual in the NT, where its perfectly legal to keep as them as pets, provided you have the right permits. Queenslanders arent even allowed to keep rabbits, ferrets, hamsters or certain types of frogs. With a ratio of about one croc for every human in the NT, the Territory is the undisputed kingdom of the saltwater crocodile. And the public agrees 100 per cent of Territorians surveyed by the NT News yesterday said our crocodiles were bigger, more fearsome and generally superior to their piffling Queensland cousins. We didnt bother asking any Queenslanders their opinions because nobody cares what they think. The NTs Mary River has the highest concentration of saltwater crocs of anywhere in the world. It is believed the Mary has 10 crocs per km. In compari son, a recent survey of the Russell River near Cairns showed a paltry population of just one per km. Embarrassingly for the Queenslanders, that result showed a sharp population increase. When contacted by the NT News yesterday, Adelaide River monarch Brutus said he found the idea of Queensland taking the NTs crown laughable. Territory rangers caught 223 salties in 2016 a significant decrease from 290 the year before. But Brutus said the decline was not cause for concern by Territory croc waters. No Territory croc would ever be kept restrained by a bit of hay Aussies plan to save big in 2017 CASH-strapped Territorians concede they are struggling a bit financially and they want to become betters savers in 2017, to get themselves back in the black. About 40 per cent of households admit they want to be more effective money managers. The key drivers include so they can travel more, pay down their home loan and buy property. New analysis by financial comparison website iSelect found Australians want to signal the new year by getting over excessive Christmas spend-ups and preparing financially for the what lies before them in the year ahead. The sites spokeswoman, Laura Crowden, said January was the perfect time to establish a financial focus for the 12 month ahead and people should aim to start paying back debt as quickly as possible. Any post-Christmas debt should be rolled over onto a low-interest, balance transfer credit card and paid down as quickly as possible, she said. Before cutting back on the fun stuff like dining out or shopping why not cut back on the boring but important household costs like energy and insurance (shop around for cheaper policies). The main reasons for wanting to save money includes wanting to travel and take more holidays (38 per cent), paying off a home loan (24 per cent) and buying a house (19 per cent). The analysis of 1000 Australians found while many people were keen to be better money managers in the new year only about 12 per cent planned to actually seek expert finance advice. Consumer finance expert Lisa Montgomery said making a new years money resolution for many households that have overspent during Christmas is a must-do. This is the time when people have the time to reflect on their finances, she said. There are some Australians who are on the set-and-forget mode during the course of the year, so the easiest way to approach an audit of your finances is to take a look at what you are spending. SOPHIE ELSWORTH Territory salties Territory salties eat QLD crocs eat QLD crocs for breakfastfor breakfast