The Northern Territory news Sat 2 Nov 2019
NT news
The Northern Territory news; NewspaperNT
2019-11-02
English
Community newspapers -- Northern Territory -- Darwin; Australian newspapers -- Northern Territory -- Darwin
News Corp Australia
Darwin
application/pdf
Copyright. Made available by the publisher under licence.
News Corp Australia
https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2019C00042
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/756107
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/764506
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 2 2019 NEWS 11 V1 - NTNE01Z01MA A precious few drops is all Bruce Lofts can get out of this water source It's a dry argument if you live at Southport Residents of NTs lost frontier plead for help in water crisis BRIAN Piddick lives every day waiting for the bushfire he fears could wipe out his home. The 77-year-old has wheelie bins and buckets filled with water stashed around his Southport property in preparation. Just one communal bore serves the 90 homes of the tiny township about 60km south of Darwin and last years abysmal wet season means it is fast running dry. Last weeks rains gave Southports 200 residents a brief reprieve, but without some serious rainfall to recharge the depleted aquifers it wont last long. At the moment, Southport residents have to collect water from the bore for their most basic amenities showering and flushing the toilet. Were still carting water as if its the 19th century, Mr Piddick said. And its all half-acre blocks, so you cant put a bore down. The former volunteer fire fighter said the area was catastrophically exposed in the event of a bushfire. If the power goes off because a fire comes in and knocks a tree down, theres no power at the bore, he said. The Government is trucking water to other drought affected areas including Woolianna and other remote communities. But in a letter to residents, Infrastructure Minister Eva Lawler said there were no plans to do the same in Southport. Government messaging was for residents to be conservative with water use and diversifying water supply options, she wrote. But Mr Piddick said residents were already rationing their water. This place used to be the last frontier, now its the lost frontier, he said. Southport Progress Society secretary Bruce Lofts has been living in Southport since 2006. Now experiencing health issues, he and his wife have been trying to sell their block to move closer to health services. But his home, which has been on the market for a year, has lost about a third of its value. No one wants to buy a home without a reliable water supply. This is my lifetime investment, and its now worthless, Mr Lofts said. He believes the Governments priorities are misaligned. He rejected Ms Lawlers claim that provision of a reticulated water system would be prohibitively expensive. This is extremely difficult to accept when millions and millions of dollars are spent on a racecourse grandstand, bringing V8s, football and cricket to Darwin, a new lopsided tennis court, he said. Opposition Leader and Daly MLA Gary Higgins said it was a clear responsibility of government to provide water to Southport homes. Its a problem that wont solve itself, even if we get a big wet season, he said. The short-term solution is to get government to cart water. The long term solution is to get the whole area on reticulated water. LUKE HAYES luke.hayes@news.com.au i wish i could access support to commercialise my innovation Business Innovation Program - apply now The Business Innovation Program helps Territory businesses develop and commercialise business innovation concepts, driving opportunities to grow private investment and create jobs through innovation. Applications are now open. For more information visit nt.gov.au/BIP or email innovation@nt.gov.au TERITORY FAMILIES The Safe, Respected and Free from Violence Prevention Grants are provided to support localised projects, activities and actions, including pilot programs, that seek to challenge and change social and cultural attitudes, values and structures that underpin domestic, family and sexual violence. Grants of up to $150 000 are available to contribute towards the development and implementation of good practice evidence-based domestic and family violence primary prevention and early intervention (secondary prevention) projects and activities in the Northern Territory. For more information and to apply for grants visit: grantsnt.nt.gov.au Applications close Monday 27 January 2020. 2020 SAFE, RESPECTED AND FREE FROM VIOLENCE PREVENTION GRANTS