The Northern Territory news Fri 18 Nov 2016
NT news
The Northern Territory news; NewspaperNT
2016-11-18
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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/10070/265290
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/460807
40 OPINION FRIDAY NOVEMBER 18 2016 NTNE01Z01MA - V1 Labor must act over sex work LABORs decision to put the decriminalisation of sex work on the backburner can only be called what it is: a broken promise. They said theyd do it within 18 months, now they have no plans. While were sure the Gunner Government will claim it has other, more pressing, commitments, try telling that to sex workers. If politicians and political parties make promises, then we expect them to be kept. So much, it seems, for this government doing things differently. And its not the only issue this government has turned its back on. At the same Labor conference where the party voted on its sex work policy, members supported a motion to take action on mental health problems suffered by FIFO workers. A 2015 parliamentary inquiry in Western Australian found that 30 per cent of FIFO workers suffered from mental health issues and NT Labor agreed to establish a regulatory framework. But when we asked the new government about that pledge, they were quick to play down an concrete commitment. Perhaps Labor Party members should be asking themselves why they bother showing up to the conferences at all. The decriminalisation of sex work is supported by the UN, Amnesty Interational and the World Health Organisation. Its also supported by common sense. The industry goes on in hotel suites and unregulated rooms that masquarade as massage parlours but without a set of rules designed to keep patrons and the workers safe. And we believe that decriminalisation is supported by the majority of Territorians. So, top priority or not, theres little excuse for the Gunner Government to sit on its hands on this issue. The only risk, that we can see, is that this mob gets a reputation as untrustworthy and ingenuine. ... and another thing WELL the Palmerston Hospital has graduated from a covered-in hole to something resembling a structure, that even now has a roof. Its taken long enough. The time frames kept changing so the previous government could claim it was meeting the time frames. Its now time to just get on with the bloody job, build the thing and get it open. Its great to see progress, but weve had enough of progress reports. The people of Palmerston and the Top End need it. Port security IN response to Port lease strategic say boss (NT News November 10), well of course you would say that Mr OConnor, it is after all in both your own and your political masters interest now isnt it? People are concerned over the port lease to Landbridge because unlike the analogy you used of Japanese investment in Queensland during the 1980s, China is a brutal communist regime with an overt territorial expansionist agenda. Perhaps you should of drawn a comparison to 1930s /40s Japan, as it has more accurate similarity. While most normal thinking people welcome investment, the security of the nation needs to be recognised as well, not just sell it to the highest bidder and to hell with the consequences. Name and address withheld Back tracking CONGRATULATIONS to DCC regarding the Esplanade bike path debacle. I wonder if they could really get into the Christmas spirit & to a similar trick regarding the proposed playground on the Esplanade too? A backflip on that would be welcomed. It would be interesting to know how many small children actually live in the city to take advantage of such a project. They already have the Waterfront development and who in their right mind is going to travel from suburbia to play in the city and pay for parking while they do it. Fran Wickes, Fannie Bay Cop it sweet, USA RE: The United States of America 2016 Presidential election. The USA is a true democracy where voting is not compulsory. CNN has reported [quote] that 131.7 million Americans cast a ballot in the 2016 Presidential Election out of 231 million eligible voters a turnout rate of 56.9 per cent which means that about 43 per cent did not vote. Those who did not vote must accept the result and get on with it and stop the whining and public demonstrations. The American people have bought this on themselves. God Save America and all those who live in her dont worry about the rest of the world. Trevor White, Woodroffe Islamic concerns I READ with interest the letter by the Islamic Society of Darwin (NT News 14/11/2016) and in particular comments relating to the presence of tension within the community and an assurance given that all efforts are being made to foster genuine engagement and sustainability in the wider community to promote healing. I very firmly believe that the wider population of Australia has embraced the Muslim community deeply for many decades and most certainly desires a congenial relationship to exist without prejudice now and into the future. Period. However, as in all relation ships, looking outwardly is only one side of the ideal image, we would all like to see. The socialists within the community create a picture that faults fraying tensions by attributing bigotry on one side alone and assumes that there is nothing required inwardly to support that relationship. Tripe. The Trump victory in the United States is not a declaration of war against the Islamic community. In the same way that Brexit was more a reminder of the obligation of all governments is to protect its citizens from danger. The western world is no longer in a position to ignore the internal tensions of Islam and its aggressive and intolerant behaviour towards its own citizens and Israel. The silent majority will not be bullied into an ideal at the risk of endangering lives. And the western world recognises that it alone has the will and capability of defining its own moral values. Thanks. Sadly, my prediction is that all new migrant Muslims will be locked out of western countries until there is a complete and lasting halt to internal hostilities in the Middle East and the civilised world. Salvatore Finocchiario, Ludmilla Protest vote WAKE up, Australian political parties. Donald Trump has won the election, wow, and political parties in Australia wonder why including the glee club, the (the greenies). We have 150 refugees moving into an old peoples home no longer used. Why couldnt these places have been opened to some of Australian 100,000 homeless, or 12,000,00 homes given to Australian homeless instead of 12,000 refugees from Syria. No wonder voters are swinging to One Nation. One of the dissatisfied silent deplorable! Roy, Jabiru I very firmly believe that the wider population of Australia has embraced the Muslim community deeply for many decades and most certainly desires a congenial relationship to exist SEE BELOW 10 YEARS AGO: The NT Government will grant five serviced blocks of land for use by community groups, it was announced yesterday. The Thai Theravada Association is the first group to benefit, with a 1ha block going to the group for a new temple and living quarters for its monks. 20 YEARS AGO: Children are sold for sex in Darwin, it was claimed yesterday. They are part of a worldwide total of more than two million people sold for sex every year, according to the World Congress Against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children. 25 YEARS AGO: One of the NTs most popular fishing spots has been saved from closure to anglers. The Fisheries Department was considering imposing a ban at the barrage at Shady Camp. 28 OPINION MONDAY APRIL 4 2016 NTNE01Z01MA - V1 MONDAY APRIL 4 2016 OPINION 29 V1 - NTNE01Z01MA ON AUSTRALIA SLIPPING TO 60TH IN THE WORLD FOR AVERAGE PEAK INTERNET SPEED, DESPITE NBN ROLL OUT Only the Liberals would think that it is better to use an outdated hybrid system then when that is finished go back and complete it to the original standard! Adriaan de Leeuw If it was a requirement for Coal Mines to have good internet wed all have Fibre-optic Broadband by now. No question. Brett Hopkinson Bring back the original plan and roll out complete fibre network. Faster and cheaper then this dinosaur network the pm is forcing on us. Hell 3rd world countries have superior network to us. Ray Choppa The NBN has been a national joke since the last election. Unfortunately most people are only starting to see it just now. Cameron Paull So many people have complained that its not worth the money or trouble. What is then. Seriously. Looking at getting internet for house and confused. Denise Scully I have had nothing but problems that took months to fix each time and it all stemmed from a dodgy installation to start with. No Broadband Never. Paul Veneman Labor originally said it was going to all be fibre optic. They promised something they couldnt deliver. Chris Brawn ON NO ASYLUM SEEKER CHILDREN BEING IN AUSTRALIAN DETENTION So where are they? Is this because we only have men seeking asylum now, leaving their woman and children behind? Shylee Riley Still plenty on Nauru though, so it seems this is but a step in the right direction. Katie Louise How many Australian children are homeless right now, with no support from government? Brett Bird Amazing. Fancy that. Keeping people locked up for years, they grow older and turn into adults. Wayne Burner Lets bring the 50+ children on Nauru to Australia, then get them out of detention, then maybe pat ourselves on the back? While this government oversees children at harm they have nothing to be proud of. Adam Davies The problem is everyone has to realise the country areas should have been done last of all. The cities should have been done first. Chris Roksandic ON HOUSE BREAK-INS By all means come in! My house is your house! But once youre inside where no one can see you, you figure out whats going to happen you little THIEF!!! Teddie A break in is done by an uninvited person. Thus one must assume that they are there for NO GOOD REASON! There is an awful lot of furniture for such a person to fall over. Or one could teach this fool a lesson and dump their unconscious body elsewhere. The constabulary and the justice system are ineffectual. PROTECT YOURSELF AND YOURS. We really have no choice now. So thief caught, hell get four months in ac comfort. Meanwhile cafe outta pocket by thousands with no hope of compo. ON MANY OTHER THINGS PB of Nightcliff. If you want S plates for senior drivers, may I suggest RDD for repeated drunk driver, LFW for lead footed wanker and BDM for brain dead moron. Dave, FBay Heaven help if the Feds cede part of the Federal fundraising to the states and territories. First we havent got the population to raise sufficient funds and we would incur a bloated public service full of ex-spurts! Craig Emerson gets a radio talk introduction, being announced as Scott. Lots of apologies. It is about time the PM delivered on tax strategy. Im not for or against alcohol laws on indigenous communi ties. But it does seem strange that only the government knows whats good for them in communities. Do these people vote so shouldnt they get full voters rights to make some of their own decisions enforcing these laws across the board, I bet you wouldnt be in Government long. Harold Holtze Do not go to that opposite corner, not far away. The Fish are not biting. Will we ever see the AFL footy show at a decent time slot? Nine Darwin delayed last week and not even on this week. Re: article about problems with telstra. Funny how it was quickly fixed after NT News got involved. I was having so much trouble getting telstra to fix my problems that finally I told them I was off to the telco ombudsman. A miracle suddenly occurred. Everything Id been trying to sort out for months was suddenly sorted in 2 weeks and follow up calls. Amazing! Sue, Palmerston Different taxes for different states. A ridiculous fight everytime. Labor is fully funded in its proposals. Deliver health according to individual need. But states see the shortfall in health funding. They are asking for the Abbottcuts to be reinstated. This fight well worth winning IT comes with the Territory. We love our home and we believe its worth fighting for. Our lifestyle and our natural environment are the envy of the world. This is the frontier the place where the blue ocean meets the ochre bush. Where Asia meets Australia. Tourists from Australia and the world are queuing up to come here, to visit Uluru and Kakadu and our amazing cities and towns. Asia is booming and people in China, Japan, Indonesia and Vietnam all want some of what weve got. Theyre buying Territory beef in cities powered by Territory gas. Step off the plane at Darwin airport and breathe in that first hit of tropical air. Cast a line into the saltwater at Gove. Sleep under the stars in the centre and youll feel it, too. That special something about living and working in the NT that city dwellers will never understand. Were proud of where we live. And so we should be. But there are drawbacks to living in paradise. It comes at a cost. As a Territory were nowhere near as healthy as we should be. Most people in Darwin die before the age of 67. In the bush, theyre living 10 years less. A baby born today in Darwin has a life expectancy of 81.2 and in the bush 73.8. Those figures highlight a stark gap to Australias major cities, but they also assume things will improve drastically over the next 80 years. Were not prepared to sit on our hands and hope. Some of the problems we face are caused by remoteness. Both the distance from Darwin to east coast cities and the isolation of our many bush communities, which struggle at times with basic services. Its long been viewed as a reality of living here. But its not something we should accept. Our children deserve the same opportunities as children in Sydney or Melbourne. Arent we a part of the lucky country, too? Thats where the Fair Go campaign begins. With a desire to make sure those of us outside the major cities one in every three Australians has a voice in Canberra. We are determined to ensure we receive a fair slice of the pie. And between now and the federal election, we will make sure our politicians do more than just kiss babies. They must do more than just pay lip service to our childrens future. complex for those over 65, for the past 25 years but I have the misfortune to have the Darwin council garbage collection contractors. After lodging complaints with the council and the Housing Commission over the past three months the number of bins for approximately 18 units has shrunk from eight to four, and is inadequate. My collections are normally Monday and Thursday. On Thursday, about 6am I put out my contribution but they overfilled the bins and spilt on the ground. This Saturday it appears the Thursday collection had been cancelled, so my contribution was spilt emptied on to the ground. Can somebody please advise who is in actual charge, and I do not mean some junior clerks who will get the blame, but those who close a blind eye. Darwin is supposed to be an exemplary city, with councillors flying all around the globe advertising how expert they are, and sitting on millions in reserve for more trips. How do you get results? Politicians are not quite useless but almost, and it is not their portfolio. The Housing Commission passes the buck, and the DCC treats me with ignorance. We were better off when we were managed by Canberra, with an Administrator and the same public servants, as the people now in charge are hopeless. I love Darwin and the Territory and used to pride myself on living here on and off for the past 60 years, but it takes an all-round education and perspicacity to govern, which I am afraid the present setup does not have. It is not their fault. They try, but are unable. John Hinton, Larrakeyah The good life HOW special we felt when our two Burdekin ducks returned to show us their three babies. They had down still on their heads and mum or dad were always on guard watching over their babies. They looked so proud. Of course they had some bread and grain. Never allowed to get too close, but they know they are never threatened. Every time they have their baby ones they bring them to see us. Last year they had five. Then we watch them when their babies are old enough chase them away in the sky. I guess they say time to be on your own and make your way in this world. We wonder if, when other Burdekins visit from time to time, they were the babies. What a wonderful part of nature they have allowed us to see and share with their family. R of Berrimah Fool for thought LOVED your April Fools Day jokes in Fridays NT News: North Korea to purchase Darwin Airport; yeah, right, it seems the airport is owned by the Federal Government/Australian Defence Force and is definitely not for sale, not even to Donald Trump. Speaking of The Donald, the other hilarious story was about him wanting to demolish Government House and put up a Trump Tower in its place. Good one, guys! Even if he knew where Darwin was, he wouldnt throw in a few hundred million for a hotel, otherwise surely he wouldve bought the port! Baru Jack, Larrakeyah A bad bet I AM just wondering, is the big house going broke? It surely seems like it is. The place is dead, the machines just gobble up your coin like there was no yesterday. Is there a poor box? I might just slip $50 into it, poor me. Man in the jungle, Batchelor ... it takes an all-round education and perspicacity to govern, which I am afraid the present set up does not have. It is not their fault they try but are unable. SEE BELOW 10 YEARS AGO: Billionaire computer mogul Bill Gates has chosen Alice Springs to announce a $105 million grant to find a vaccine for pneumonia. Gates hopes the grant will help create a cheap vaccine to combat strains of the disease common in Third World countries. 20 YEARS AGO: A new $750,000 bridge to be opened today should allow all weather access to Litchfield National Park. The bridge, at the upper Finniss River crossing, is to be officially opened by Tourism Minister Barry Coulter. 25 YEARS AGO: A site off Lakeside Drive, Alawa, is set to become Australias first childrens garden in a joint project by Darwin council and Rotary Club to promote nature study. The council agreed to set aside the area off Lakeside Drive for the garden. NO I would have to think about it before joining. THILINA HEDDIARACHICHI, NIGHTCLIFF YES I just signed up to a yoga class. CATHY WHITE, NIGHTCLIFF YES Im a member of iFitness, I like to train with weights. ANGELA PERCIVAL, COCONUT GROVE Speak Up: Are you a member of a Territorian gym? NO But I do teach some classes in Fernwood. I like to teach boxing and Pilates. LISA SVARA, RAPID CREEK LETTER OF THE DAY Its time to try smarter justice AT a time of justifiable public interest and concern about the effectiveness of public spending, Australian Red Cross is launching a report calling on a new way to do justice a way that redirects finite taxpayers funds into a more effective and humane system. Known as justice reinvestment, at its heart is a system that channels funds spent on imprisonment into crime prevention and community safety. Its more effective, more humane and it works. The report highlights the growing costs (about $3.5b a year) and inhumane effects of the climbing imprisonment rates in a time of falling or steady crime rates. It also highlights the failure to address the causes of crime or make our communities safer. We are calling for State and Territory Governments to adopt five recommendations to improve the criminal justice system in line with the justice reinvestment approach to achieve lower incarceration rates, reduced prison costs and stronger, safer communities. We also recommend that all governments commit to a significant reduction in the appallingly high incarceration rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Please read the report at www.redcross.org.au/justice reinvest and talk to your local elected representatives. Sandra Cannon, Executive Director, Australian Red Cross, NT NO I used to be a member some time ago 10 years ago. BOB BRADY, FANNIE BAY Billy the Boston terrier cuts a fine figure dressed as a frog Picture: ELISE DERWIN PICK OF THE PICS No shortcuts IF it has even a skerrick of commitment to its own integrity, Inpex must follow through with its agreed commitment to fund over $90 million in environmental offsets. It has financially benefited from accessing enormous amounts of potable water for free, destroying Darwin Harbours mangroves and dredging the harbour, not to mention the hundreds of tonnes of greenhouse gases which will be released once it is operational. $30 million is a drop in the ocean for a $30 billion project, not to mention the missing funds intended to support indigenous fire management FAIR FOR THE GOLD COAST GO FAIR FOR TOWNSVILLE GO FOR DARWIN FAIR GO FOR GEELONG FAIR GO FAIR FOR CAIRNS GO FOR HOBART FAIR GO FOR THE TERRITORY THE Fair Go campaign is all about your voice. With a third of Aussies living in regional areas, speaking up as one will make for a loud conversation that Canberra can not ignore. Its a great way to offer support and solutions to our brothers and sisters nationwide. Join in now by sending a letter or text to the editor. Head to our NT News website or join the national conversation on Facebook or Twitter at www.facebook.com/FairGo4Us/ and twitter.com/FairGo4Us. Use hashtag #FairGo on all your posts and start spreading the word! Email: ntnmail@ntnews.com.au I Text: 0428 NTNEWS I Fax: 08 89816045 I Letters: PO Box 1300, Darwin NT 0801 Your Sa lllllllllllll'tvoURVOICE IN THE TERRITORY 111111111111111 111 EDITORIAL NT'+News o On this day IN THE TERRITORY CONNECT WITH US ~ www.ntnews.com.au -(;I @TheNTNews Facebook.com/TheNTNews 11111 111111 11111 11 1111 111 111 111 111 111 111111 11111111111111111111 1111 111111111111111111111 11 111 1111 111 111 111 111 111 1111 111 1111 111 11111 111 111 111111 11 11 TUP.~S our OUA -nUwtf WASAH~t> Of "'tiS \t~ES ...