Sunday Territorian 1 Mar 2015
Sunday Territorian; NewspaperNT
2015-03-01
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English
Community newspapers -- Northern Territory -- Darwin.; Australian newspapers -- Northern Territory -- Darwin.
Nationwide News Pty. Limited
Darwin
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Nationwide News Pty. Limited
https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2019C00042
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/256132
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/522387
SUNDAY MARCH 1 2015 NEWS 09 V1 - NTNE01Z01MA Hostel closure a worry for indigenous health THERE are concerns for the welfare of remote indigenous patients seeking treatment in Alice Springs due to the prolonged closure of a medical accommodation facility. Stuart Lodge, a short-term hostel with 33 rooms and up to 68 beds, quietly closed its doors in December last year after the Territory Government pulled its funding. Bosom Buddies NT founder Lesley Reilly said to her knowledge neither remote communities in the NT and on the SA border, nor hospital staff, were notified of the closure. Staff at the Alice Springs Hospital were still phoning Stuart Lodge in January to make arrangements for remote clients only to be told that it was no longer operating, she said. With these beds no longer available, even greater pressure will be on Aboriginal Hostels, which are already stretched to capacity. Over many years, our cancer support group has been aware that remote nurses have had, at times, to cancel hospital appointments for patients because there were no Patient Assisted Travel Scheme beds available in Alice Springs. The situation will now be greatly exacerbated, creating even greater risk of delays with diagnostic tests and treatment, and resulting in possible life threatening consequences. Indigenous dialysis centre Purple House chief executive Sarah Brown added that the shortage of accommodation also meant a lack of nutritious and affordable meals. She said reinstalling funding and upgrading facilities is needed but setting up more dialysis out bush so fewer families have to move to town will also help ease the pressure. Some of these pressures may soon be relieved reports this week suggest $10 million in Commonwealth funding, promised for NT renal dialysis services three years ago, may soon be restored to the sector. Ms Brown said she received a phone call from Chief Minister Adam Giles on Thursday advising her the Government was still on track to deliver the promised funds. Shadow Minister for Housing Michael Gunner last week raised the question of Stuart Lodges future with Minister for Housing Bess Price. Ms Price said there had been a number of issues with the closure and status of Stuart Lodge and another hostel, Apmere Mwerre Visitor Park. By JESSICA BROWN The situation will now be greatly exacerbated Scenes from the pilot episode of Black As, filmed in Arnhem Land and starring Jerome Lillipiyana, Chico Wanybarrnga, Dino Wanybarrnga and Joe Smith Anything is Pozible for four blokes with a dream A GROUP of young men from Arnhem Land who want to show their culture to the world will be the stars of a new reality television series if they get their way. The four blokes three of them Yolngu men from outstations near Ramingining are behind an online Pozible campaign to raise $70,000 to fund the production of a television series called Black As. Jerome Lillipiyana, 24, Chico Wanybarrnga, 25, Dino Wanybarrnga, 22 and Joe Smith, 27, pitched their idea to make a show based on their adventures to production company Rebel Films last year. It was quickly snapped up. Mr Smith who was adopted by a Ramingining family as a child said all four men have gone through Aboriginal customary law and live by all cultural and societal codes expected of them as initiated men. The series is about boys going bush, Mr Smith said. Its about adventure and not just sitting at home and being lazy and not just going out and killing everything. Its a different lifestyle out here. Its always an adventure to go out bush because we dont just jump in a car; weve got to find fuel and supplies and figure out how we get there, whether we use a car or a boat. The boys are usually humbugging to go somewhere every weekend. We usually go around the Arafura swamp and on the ocean, we like going on saltwater. Or places people dont go to. Mr Smith said the aim of the series was to show the positive side of living in remote communities. We wanted to show the world that remote communities are not bad and there are a lot of good things out here, he said. For the boys we all try to live a healthy and active lifestyle, we avoid alcohol and drugs. Its quiet in the bush. Theres not everyday traffic, things like that. We live off the land and dont always have to go to the shop and buy. Mr Smith said the series would be educational as well as entertaining. I think outsiders can learn a lot about how Yolgnu people and white people can put their ideas together, he said. The boys said we could become famous and I think it could happen we would be happy about that. Filming is expected to start this dry season if the boys fundraising target is reached. For more information go to ht tp : / /www.poz ib le . com/ project/190802?fb_ref=Default Prestige property passed in at $950k Chance to check form A LARRAKEYAH home anticipated to be demolished and rebuilt passed in for $950,000 short of the near-$1 million reserve. The house at 29 Temira Crescent was built in the 1960s and sits on a 872 sq m block with a 10m elevation and the owners were selling the property with plans they had drawn up for a new dwelling. Yesterday the NT News reported people in Darwin were prepared to spend $1 millionplus on an older home only to knock it down. McGees Property agent Annette Gore said young couples and families at the high end of the market were keen to get into the likes of Kirkland Crescent and Temira Crescent, both at Larrakeyah. The asbestos clad home overlooks Kahlin Oval and the bidding yesterday started and stopped at $950,000, shy of the reserve which Colliers auctioneer Chris Hyland said was in the vicinity of $1 million Mr Hyland said the area around the oval which consists of 18 homes was the most desirable part of one of Darwins most desirable locations, ranking with Cullen Bay and Fannie Bay for prestige. This is a privileged position and I think general consensus is they should be $1 million properties and I think we will get there with this one, he said. It is not the sort of location that you would skimp on in the sense that the values here, it is a location where people expect to find good quality executive homes. The big challenge is that not many people are capable of doing it. You wouldnt get much change out of $1 million (to build a house on the site) and in fact many people would look at $1.2 or $1.3 million. EMPLOYERS will be able to check a persons criminal history in New Zealand after prime ministers Tony Abbott and John Key signed an agreement allowing trans-Tasman information sharing. The PMs signed a memorandum of understanding in Auckland yesterday which will allow would-be employers in both countries to check criminal histories of potential employees on both sides of the Tasman. The cross-checking will only be done with the consent of the individual involved. The prime ministers also struck a deal to allow New Zealand to reclaim unpaid student loans from New Zealanders who studied at home but now work in Australia. Also yesterday, new guidelines were developed around the deporting of New Zealand criminals. By MEGAN PALIN