Alice Springs news
Alice Springs news; NewspaperNT
2000-04-26
This publication contains may contain links to external sites. These external sites may no longer be active.
This publication contains many links to external sites. These external sites may no longer be active.
English
Community newspspers; Australia, Central; Alice Springs (N.T.); Newspapers
Erwin Chlanda
Alice Springs
v. 7 issue 17
application/pdf
Copyright. Made available by the publisher under licence.
Erwin Chlanda
https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2019C00042
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/231604
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/666978
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: We won't come while you have mandatory sentencing: athletes. Sir,- Jackie Kelly [Federal Tourism Minister] is reported in your April 12 edition to have said that she doesn't have any evidence at this stage that the controversy over mandatory sentencing has had an impact on visitor numbers. I can provide some. The NT 2000 Masters Games is to be held in Alice Springs in October of this year. I attended my first games in Adelaide last year as a swimmer. It was my intention to participate in the NT Masters Games. I have travelled a lot, but have never been to the Alice. I would dearly love to. Both my work circumstances and finances permit me to go. In conscience, I cannot. On providing others in my Aussie Masters swimming club with the brochures, of the 12 or so swimmers present, eight indicated that while they would like to go to the Games, they were not prepared to while the mandatory sentencing policy is in place. [Ms Burton has the names and telephone numbers of the eight, if anyone seeks verification.] Several of us were likely to have extended the trip to spend time as tourists.Yours is not the only community that fails to take some responsibility for failing to meet the needs of young people before they turn delinquent. However, I am not prepared to reward your Government by visiting the NT for the week to 10 days that participation in the Games requires. I don't want to spend money in the NT while its people perpetuate the problem they are trying to stamp out by costly, ineffective, inhumane mandatory incarceration of those less fortunate than themselves. Pamela Burton Bungendore, NSW pamela @ cyberone.com.au Sir,- By accident I found your newspaper in "The Paperboy", thank god for that. One of my favourite things, when I have time, is to read about life all over the world. I liked your newspaper a lot, mainly for two reasons. It gives a view of a lifestyle I can't imagine living in a middle of a hot desert (still quite comfortably I think), and it also gives a grass root information of things happening there. Thanks to the editor.When I am writing this, temperature is about -10 degrees centigrade outside and still dark but spring is coming to Finland too ... Not a day too soon. Jari Kukkurainen Finland jariku5@hotmail.com Sir,- Enjoy reading you paper courtesy of the internet. We publish a daily letter and have a web site in which we poke fun at the world press. Will be printing extracts from your paper if you have no objections! We give full credit and try to be humorous. Orville, USA www.harvardnews.org Sir,- I recently saw an old movie called "A Town Like Alice". It was about Alice Springs, I think around the time after World War 2. I was pleasantly surprised to find your web site. I enjoyed reading your newspaper. Just wanted to say Hi! LET'S REGAIN OUR LIFESTYLE, SAYS CANDIDATE. Carl Marcic may not have the management and council experience of other mayoral candidates, but the twenty-four year old says he makes up for it with the zest of youth and by his experience of life in Alice Springs.A born and bred local, Mr Marcic says this is "God's own country" but our lifestyle has taken a downturn since his boyhood days of the early to mid eighties."We had a fantastic standard of living then, but far from improving it seems to be going backwards," says Mr Marcic.He says the huge market potential of Aboriginal tourism is virtually untapped, and if he were mayor it would be one of the issues he would like to get the town talking about.It is the key to increasing visitation to Alice Springs, and everyone would benefit from that.As well, Mr Marcic says Alice needs to tackle the problem of public drunkenness. This impacts not only on locals' quality of life, but also on tourism."A tourist will tell 10 other people about a good experience they had in Alice, but if they've had a bad experience many more people will hear about it. Bad news travels faster than good news. We can't afford to let that happen."While he can see the possible benefit of a ban on four and five litre casks of wine, Mr Marcic is sceptical about reduced trading hours for liquor outlets. He insists they would simply lead to busier trading within the restricted hours, and in any case sees the idea as a "bandaid" approach to the problem. As mayor, he says he would call a summit of concerned groups and individuals to tackle "the root causes" of alcohol abuse."I haven't got the solution, I've never lived that way of life, but it affects my life and other people's lives in a detrimental way, and I don't like that."I want to be able to walk down the Mall at any time and not be harassed. "I want to be able to go shopping without having to step over comatose drunks."No one person or group can fix it, everyone has to be involved."He sees council's role not as a leader, but as a facilitator.He believes that if something "makes sense, if it's logical, it will happen".Of the recently aired frustrations of some aldermen over getting things to happen, he says: "A lot comes down to the individual. "You have to sell your ideas and be able to talk to people from all walks of life."His training in marketing and management at the Northern Territory