Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Palmerston Mayor Athina Pascoe-Bell on the widening of the Palmerston boundaries, and kicking off the myPalmerston vouchers

Transcript

Palmerston Mayor Athina Pascoe-Bell on the widening of the Palmerston boundaries, and kicking off the myPalmerston vouchers · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Joining me on the line is the Mayor of Palmerston,
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Athena Pasco Bell.
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: Good morning to you, Athena.
• 0:06
  Speaker 3: Good morning Katie.
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: Now Athena obviously due to talk about lots of other things,
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: but I do want to ask yesterday, no doubt you're
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: incredibly shocked and saddened to hear what had gone on
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: in Gray.
• 0:19
  Speaker 4: Yeah. Look, it's got to be completely devastating for everyone involved,
• 0:24
  Speaker 4: you know, the people involved and also police to have
• 0:28
  Speaker 4: something like this have happened. So you know, it's a
• 0:32
  Speaker 4: complete shock, really, and I know.
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: That there had been some locals say that it was
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: only a matter of time before something happened in that area.
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: It's a spot that unfortunately is known for anti social behavior.
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: Is that the situation from your perspective?
• 0:51
  Speaker 4: Look, I think you know, we have waves of issues
• 0:54
  Speaker 4: occurring across Palmerston, so things come and go, but it's
• 1:00
  Speaker 4: really a matter of the community all working together and
• 1:04
  Speaker 4: having a good understanding of what is going on in
• 1:07
  Speaker 4: our suburbs. And I know police try really hard, council
• 1:11
  Speaker 4: try really hard to address antisocial issues in Palmerston. It's
• 1:15
  Speaker 4: just something we've got to keep working on.
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: Yeah, no doubt about that.
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: And you and I spoke just a couple of weeks
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: ago about some of the issues that we've seen with
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: public intoxication and rubbish being left behind. So I won't
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: cover that old ground because there is quite a few
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: other things that I want to talk to you about
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: this morning, and one of those is the boundary set
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: for a big expansion in Palmerston, growing into the previously
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: unincorporated areas of wish Art, tivin Dale, Kirkland Road and
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: l Rundy Athena. What does this mean for the Palmerston Council.
• 1:51
  Speaker 4: So obviously we'll be taking over those areas, so that'll
• 1:55
  Speaker 4: be the management of the public spaces in those areas.
• 1:59
  Speaker 4: It is predominantly industrial sites with some commercial sites. It
• 2:05
  Speaker 4: means that those businesses in that area will have access
• 2:08
  Speaker 4: council services, council representation, and when we do take them
• 2:14
  Speaker 4: over on the first of July, they also have the
• 2:16
  Speaker 4: opportunity to participate in a lot of the programs that
• 2:20
  Speaker 4: the City of Palmerston.
• 2:21
  Speaker 3: Offers, like Mike Palmerstan.
• 2:23
  Speaker 4: We also offer verge assistance, so if a business in
• 2:29
  Speaker 4: that area wants to improve the public spacing side of
• 2:34
  Speaker 4: their property, it doesn't have to be council verged, but
• 2:36
  Speaker 4: it could also be their car parks on the inside,
• 2:39
  Speaker 4: or plant some trees or do some landscaping. Then we
• 2:42
  Speaker 4: offer them a one for one discount on their rates.
• 2:46
  Speaker 4: So if they spend say five thousand dollars putting some
• 2:49
  Speaker 4: landscaping and trees in, then we will reduce their rates
• 2:53
  Speaker 4: bright up to two and a half thousand dollars. Yeah. Right,
• 2:57
  Speaker 4: they'll be able to take those opportunities that we offer
• 3:00
  Speaker 4: our existing businesses in Palmerston and also join in there.
• 3:06
  Speaker 3: For Palmerston residents.
• 3:08
  Speaker 4: It means that we've got a bigger diversity of employment
• 3:12
  Speaker 4: opportunities within our municipality and we've got areas now where
• 3:16
  Speaker 4: we can grow our commercial and industrial estates as well,
• 3:20
  Speaker 4: so hopefully more employment opportunities into the future.
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: And so with those with those areas that were previously unincorporated,
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: would do they pay rates there currently or is that
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: going to be something that now is introduced.
• 3:36
  Speaker 4: They pay rates to the Northern Territory Government currently, So
• 3:39
  Speaker 4: by Council taking that over, we will.
• 3:41
  Speaker 3: Then collect the rates and we will do things like.
• 3:44
  Speaker 4: Taking care of vergers the streets. We think we'll look
• 3:48
  Speaker 4: at upgrading the liking like we have done in the
• 3:51
  Speaker 4: rest of Palmerston. So these programs will be rolled out
• 3:54
  Speaker 4: into those areas. So instead of the Northern Territory Government
• 3:58
  Speaker 4: taking the rates.
• 3:59
  Speaker 3: And you know, providing some.
• 4:01
  Speaker 4: Services, Council will take those rates and provide the same
• 4:04
  Speaker 4: level of service that we do for our other industrial
• 4:08
  Speaker 4: and commercial areas.
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: Okay, and any idea whether the you know, like what
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: the difference will be cost wise to those rates.
• 4:14
  Speaker 5: At this point, it should be very similar because the
• 4:18
  Speaker 5: Northern Territory Government had been choosing a nearby council area
• 4:24
  Speaker 5: to apply the same.
• 4:25
  Speaker 4: Formula for the rate, so it'll be much the same.
• 4:29
  Speaker 4: And I believe they were using Palmersten rate model for
• 4:33
  Speaker 4: those areas currently, so it'll be the same.
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: And oh well, I guess, you know, obviously we'll wait
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: and see what sort of you know, what further info
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: comes out of it, but it does seem as though
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: this is going to be a good move for those
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: different areas.
• 4:49
  Speaker 3: Yeah, look, it will be a good move.
• 4:51
  Speaker 4: And you know, again they'll have representation, so those businesses
• 4:55
  Speaker 4: have issues, they can come to council. They'll be involved
• 4:58
  Speaker 4: in our kin Unity planning as well. And we're just
• 5:02
  Speaker 4: about to kick off our local Economic Plan which we.
• 5:05
  Speaker 3: Adopted late last year.
• 5:08
  Speaker 4: But we're now going to have dedicated resources to actually
• 5:11
  Speaker 4: rolling that out, so those businesses will benefit from the
• 5:14
  Speaker 4: rollout of our local economic plan as well.
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: Now I've seena one of the other things I'm keen
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: to find out about this morning. We caught up with
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: the Lord Bear of Darwin Convact Scarlets a bit earlier
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: talking about those My Darwin vouchers. It seems as though
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: it's been a bit of a slower take up this
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: time around for the my Darwin ones. How's it going
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: for the my Palmestan vouchers.
• 5:36
  Speaker 4: We haven't opened it up to consumers yet, so timement,
• 5:39
  Speaker 4: we're still taking registrations for businesses and then on the
• 5:43
  Speaker 4: fourteenth of March registration for customers will open. It is
• 5:49
  Speaker 4: a six hundred thousand dollars discount voucher schemes.
• 5:52
  Speaker 3: I think that's the same.
• 5:53
  Speaker 4: Amount that Darwin have an offer yeap, and so you know,
• 5:57
  Speaker 4: we're looking forward to that actually opening on the fourteenth
• 6:00
  Speaker 4: for consumers. But at the moment, if you're a Palmeston business,
• 6:05
  Speaker 4: now's your chance to get onto the website and register
• 6:08
  Speaker 4: your business.
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: So still got a bit of time in Palmerston the
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: fourteenth of March and Athena, has there been a lot
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: of businesses registered?
• 6:17
  Speaker 4: Yeah, Look, I understand that a lot of the previous
• 6:19
  Speaker 4: businesses have.
• 6:20
  Speaker 3: Have been quite keen.
• 6:22
  Speaker 4: And I heard last night that a lot of the
• 6:24
  Speaker 4: nail you know, the ladies nail.
• 6:26
  Speaker 2: Yes, yeah, I've signed up.
• 6:29
  Speaker 4: So I think there's a big push for the beauty
• 6:32
  Speaker 4: industry to get involved. So they're very keen and all
• 6:35
  Speaker 4: registered and ready to go. So if you are one
• 6:38
  Speaker 4: of those businesses, and it doesn't have to be the
• 6:40
  Speaker 4: traditional sort of retail, I mean, you could be a
• 6:43
  Speaker 4: mechanic or other you know, things that people don't normally
• 6:47
  Speaker 4: think about, but you are a business, then you can
• 6:50
  Speaker 4: actually participate.
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: Well, everyone's going to be getting around with lovely manicured
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: nails in parliston my sense of it, Athena, can I ask,
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: because I know that there was a criticism after the
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: Law of Me It was on earlier this morning that
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: some of those big chain businesses have also signed up
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: in Darwin and that really this should be more about
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: those actual, you know, locally run.
• 7:15
  Speaker 2: And locally owned businesses. What are your thoughts on that.
• 7:20
  Speaker 4: We don't necessarily allow the big chain to you participate.
• 7:26
  Speaker 4: But if it's one of those franchisees and they are
• 7:30
  Speaker 4: a local franchise with a small operation, so they might
• 7:33
  Speaker 4: still be long to a chain, the local franchise is
• 7:37
  Speaker 4: locally owned, than we allow them to participate.
• 7:40
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think that that's fair enough. That makes sense, Yeah,
• 7:42
  Speaker 2: that does.
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: And I think that that's fair enough if you're talking
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: about a business that is, while it might be a franchise,
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: if it is being run and owned by a local,
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: local territory and local Palmerston business owner, I think that
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: that's fair enough.
• 7:57
  Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, you know, we want to support them as well,
• 8:00
  Speaker 4: local operations. But the big multinational type organizations that really
• 8:04
  Speaker 4: don't have a local presence other than the shop front,
• 8:08
  Speaker 4: then they won't be eligible to participate. Well.
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: Asena Pasco Bell, the Mayor of Palmerston, it's always really
• 8:15
  Speaker 1: good to catch up with you. Happy International Women's Day
• 8:18
  Speaker 1: for yesterday. I know that there is quite a bit
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: happening in Palmerston this week, and I guess anything on
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: today that people should be aware of for tomorrow.
• 8:28
  Speaker 4: Or today, I'm just about to run over. Where is
• 8:33
  Speaker 4: it to the International Women's Day cultural fusion and fashion.
• 8:37
  Speaker 4: So that's at eleven o'clock at the rec Center. Tomorrow
• 8:41
  Speaker 4: we have International Women's Day story time featuring Amy Heatherington
• 8:45
  Speaker 4: awesome and Women in Gaming will be occurring in the afternoon,
• 8:49
  Speaker 4: so you can get those details on council website. Some
• 8:52
  Speaker 4: of them require registration, so just check on the website
• 8:56
  Speaker 4: if you need to register. On Friday night, for young ladies,
• 9:00
  Speaker 4: there is a Pana session at Urban Jams at the
• 9:02
  Speaker 4: Recreation Center.
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: Ah, good stuff. Well Athena Pasco Bell, good to speak
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: with you this morning. We really appreciate your time.
• 9:10
  Speaker 2: Thanks Katie, Thank you.