Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Alice Springs Mayor Matt Paterson says the Council stands by its decision to stop community comp AFL games from being played at Traeger Park

Transcript

Alice Springs Mayor Matt Paterson says the Council stands by its decision to stop community comp AFL games from being played at Traeger Park · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Last week on the show, we did speak about the
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: situation in Central Australia with the football. Now they made
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: some changes to the draw the AFL did in an
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: effort to try and keep games in Alice Springs despite
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: some really serious concerns being raised by the council around
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: the issues that they've had to deal with with crime
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: and social issues. Now, in the latest move, the ABC
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: is reporting that the AFL has said it's going to
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: consider pulling the annual Melbourne Demons match from Alice Springs
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: unless the town council reverses its decision to bar community
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: football from Trega Park now. According to the report, in
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: an email to the council, which the ABC say that.
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: They've seen, the league said that it would review the.
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: Viability of holding Round sixteen match between the Melbourne Demons
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: and the GWS Giants in Alice Springs in June. Now,
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: Alice Springs Mayor Matt Patterson says the council won't be
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  Speaker 1: held hostage to the AFL and their bullying attitude and
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  Speaker 1: he joins me on the line right now, Good morning
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: to you.
• 1:00
  Speaker 3: Match, come morning Katy, thanks having me.
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: Thanks so much for joining us.
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: Matt.
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  Speaker 2: We spoke to the AFL on Friday.
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  Speaker 1: At that point, we were not aware of this situation
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: with the Demons and Giants game.
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  Speaker 2: Can you tell me.
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  Speaker 1: What the letter from the AFL says to the council
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: around the game?
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  Speaker 3: Look, ultimately, just basically what you've read out. Ultimately, they
• 1:22
  Speaker 3: are trying to hold the ollow Springstown Council hostage for
• 1:27
  Speaker 3: effectively something that's got nothing to do with us. The
• 1:30
  Speaker 3: AFL game that's here to be played is between the
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  Speaker 3: AFL and the Northern Territory Government and that contract. The
• 1:37
  Speaker 3: issue that we're having at the moment is completely.
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: Separate and so much obviously you have you've taken it
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: as a threat.
• 1:46
  Speaker 3: Yeah, absolutely, I mean this was never on the table
• 1:50
  Speaker 3: until we've obviously made the decision around community football, and
• 1:54
  Speaker 3: we've got, you know, AFL headquarters trying to come in
• 1:57
  Speaker 3: over the top of what is a local decision. Now,
• 2:00
  Speaker 3: I've always said when we talk about these issues that
• 2:02
  Speaker 3: people should come to Alice Springs before they make those decisions.
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  Speaker 3: This is completely separate, and it's a bullying tactic by
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  Speaker 3: AFL and the AFL and t over the Alice Springs community.
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  Speaker 3: They've come in over the top and it's irresponsible and
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  Speaker 3: completely inappropriate.
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: What impact do you reckon that it would have if
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  Speaker 1: you know, if that AFL game then doesn't go ahead,
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  Speaker 1: you know between the demons and the giants, Oh, look.
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  Speaker 3: At it will have an impact on the community. But
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  Speaker 3: if I go back in time, k we were talking
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  Speaker 3: about the community football, people were very critical, including the
• 2:38
  Speaker 3: AFL or an AFL and T very critical of the
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  Speaker 3: ol Springstown Council taking football away from the community and
• 2:44
  Speaker 3: you know, young people and women, Well, what are the
• 2:48
  Speaker 3: AFL doing right now? That's exactly what they're doing, the
• 2:51
  Speaker 3: exact same thing that they threatened us with. So it's
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  Speaker 3: very ironic. An AFL and TEA need to have a
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  Speaker 3: good look at themselves. They've they they run the competition
• 3:00
  Speaker 3: out of Darwin and the arrogance that they have for
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  Speaker 3: our springs is very hard to fathom. They've now scheduled
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  Speaker 3: women's football on a Saturday night and they've said that
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  Speaker 3: women need to choose between netball and AFL football. So
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  Speaker 3: that goes to show to sheer arrogance when the decisions
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  Speaker 3: not made locally.
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: Can I ask you, obviously, when we spoke to the
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  Speaker 1: AFL on Friday, the NTAFL. They said that they've made
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: some changes to the drawer in an effort to minimize
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: any potential issues associated with those games. Have any of
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: those changes sort of changed council's perspective in any way?
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  Speaker 3: Councils still have the same view that there's been no
• 3:41
  Speaker 3: other resolution and I speak the resolutions stated there has
• 3:44
  Speaker 3: been no other change to the resolutions in regards to
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  Speaker 3: the changing of.
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  Speaker 1: The draw Obviously they're saying there's a lot of benefits
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: to the community when it comes to footy. Can you
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  Speaker 1: explain to our listeners and I know that you and
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: I have spoken before about this, but maybe not everybody
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: listening has heard it.
• 3:59
  Speaker 2: Can you explaining to our listeners.
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: Again why you are concerned about those games? Those you know,
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  Speaker 1: the Central Australian Football League games happening in Alice Springs
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  Speaker 1: at this point.
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  Speaker 3: So what we have I mean, it's obviously multi layered.
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  Speaker 3: Everyone understands the social challenges that we're facing. Communities come
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  Speaker 3: to come to our springs to play football. All the
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  Speaker 3: surrounding communities come and play here. There's no infrastructure in
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  Speaker 3: remote communities. That's one issue. Spectators come and kildren come.
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  Speaker 3: You know, the men come and we're not finding that
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  Speaker 3: they're going back to their community, and it's causing us
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  Speaker 3: with this bottleneck of issues. I would love to see
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  Speaker 3: community football on community, that's how it was designed, but
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  Speaker 3: because of the lack ofduction for a long time, unfortunately
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  Speaker 3: we continue to have the games played in our springs.
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  Speaker 3: Why can't they be played out in the remote communities?
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  Speaker 3: So for example, Katie, we've got Undamo which is three
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  Speaker 3: hundred and thirty kilometers away. It drives past Ulla move
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  Speaker 3: and they play against each other in Alice Springs and
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  Speaker 3: then if they do go back, they all go back
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  Speaker 3: the same way. I mean, surely there is, you know,
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  Speaker 3: got to be some explanation as to why they can't
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  Speaker 3: play out on community save their funds. They don't have
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  Speaker 3: to drive into town, and yet all the funding that
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  Speaker 3: they get can go back into the economy of building
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  Speaker 3: an economy in the remote community.
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  Speaker 2: I guess you know.
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  Speaker 1: The AFL's argument, AFL in T's argument is going to
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  Speaker 1: be that, you know, the infrastructure is not there for
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  Speaker 1: those games to take place properly.
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  Speaker 2: I know that.
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  Speaker 1: Again, you and I have spoken about that before.
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  Speaker 3: Well, why haven't the AFL done some plans about getting
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  Speaker 3: infrastructure on remote communities. Kadie. They've got a two hundred
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  Speaker 3: and fifty page document that says why they need a
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  Speaker 3: three hundred million dollar stadium in Daowen and for the
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  Speaker 3: infrastructures in all of the remote communities in central Australia.
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  Speaker 3: They've got one a four page that's half written on
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  Speaker 3: the other one is half pictures. I mean, why are
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  Speaker 3: we kicking the can down the road here and why
• 6:01
  Speaker 3: aren't the AFL and T taking any piece of responsibility
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  Speaker 3: in this?
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  Speaker 2: Well, look, you know, I can't speak for them.
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  Speaker 1: I don't know exactly what they'd say to that, but
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  Speaker 1: I guess what I guess what a lot of people
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  Speaker 1: will be wondering at this point is you know, how
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  Speaker 1: to how you're going to get past this stalemate and
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  Speaker 1: how are you going to kind of get to the
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  Speaker 1: point where you know, the footy, the AFL match between
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: the Demons and the Giants is still able to go ahead,
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  Speaker 1: if you know, if you can't get past the stale mate,
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  Speaker 1: I suppose.
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  Speaker 3: So the AFL game, I want to be really clear,
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  Speaker 3: The AFL game has nothing to do with the Ola
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  Speaker 3: Springstown Council. That is a deal that's broken between the
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  Speaker 3: Northern Territory government and the AFL. The AFL are just
• 6:44
  Speaker 3: throwing the baby out with the bath order, trying to
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  Speaker 3: come over the top of the Alic Springstown Council. It's
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  Speaker 3: completely separate.
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  Speaker 1: Issue, all right, So what what is your you know
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  Speaker 1: what where.
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  Speaker 2: To from here? I suppose Matt.
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  Speaker 3: Well, we've been speaking in this with the AFL, AFL
• 7:02
  Speaker 3: and T for eighteen months and nothing's changed. Now we've
• 7:05
  Speaker 3: made this decision and finally we've seen some traction from
• 7:09
  Speaker 3: the AFL get to start moving. So we'll continue to
• 7:13
  Speaker 3: talk to the AFL and T remembicated that the withdrawing
• 7:16
  Speaker 3: support for the community football was only for the year
• 7:18
  Speaker 3: twenty twenty three as we just catch our breath with
• 7:21
  Speaker 3: all of the things going on. So clearly we'll keep
• 7:24
  Speaker 3: working with the AFL in T for future years. But
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  Speaker 3: I do want to say again if they it'd be
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  Speaker 3: very ironic for the AFL and T to withdraw the
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  Speaker 3: AFL game from Alice Springs, and I think they need
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  Speaker 3: to probably sit down and have a look at the
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  Speaker 3: ramifications going forward to some well, I think.
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  Speaker 1: The government provides funding for it and everything, though, don't they.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, like it's an agreement across the board with
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: the Northern Territory Government. I thought paid quite a large
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  Speaker 1: amount of money.
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  Speaker 2: For it to happen.
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  Speaker 3: It's a huge it's a huge sum of money and
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  Speaker 3: that's and that reiterates my point that it's got nothing
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  Speaker 3: to do with us. It's a deal between the AFL
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  Speaker 3: and the Northern Territory Government. So I think ultimately it
• 8:00
  Speaker 3: will be up to those two stakeholders to see where
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  Speaker 3: that game's played.
• 8:03
  Speaker 1: The July well, we'll see if we can get a
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  Speaker 1: response from the government on that one as well. And
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  Speaker 1: we're just under the pump with the Chief Minister this morning,
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  Speaker 1: so didn't get the opportunity to.
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  Speaker 2: Ask her about it, but we certainly will follow it up.
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  Speaker 1: Matt Patterson, the mayor of Alice Springs, made anything else
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  Speaker 1: I should be aware of from the weekend. While I've
• 8:19
  Speaker 1: got you on the line, I know you know Alice
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  Speaker 1: has been grappling with a lot of issues.
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  Speaker 2: How did things go over the weekend?
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  Speaker 3: Oh, not good, Katie, not good at all. We've had
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  Speaker 3: our two bottle shops, Milna Road and Pigley. They were
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  Speaker 3: rammated and absolutely turned upside down. So unfortunately they're owned
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  Speaker 3: by a lovely, lovely couple and you know that's been
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  Speaker 3: absolutely trushed again. Don't forget Milner's was only remated at
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  Speaker 3: the start of the year and it's happened again. It's
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  Speaker 3: absolutely chaos.
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  Speaker 1: And mate, we'd also seen this incredibly sickening report that
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  Speaker 1: had come through from the Northern Territory Police from Alice
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  Speaker 1: as well about a disabled woman allegedly being sexually assaulted
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: in Alice Springs on the weekends.
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  Speaker 3: Yep, so you know it's in broad daylight, right, So
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  Speaker 3: it's just it's absolutely disgusting. I hope those people are
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  Speaker 3: caught in the books, absolutely thrown at them because at
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  Speaker 3: the moment we're not seeing much change and things need
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  Speaker 3: to change. This I've said to you a million Timestadie,
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  Speaker 3: this is Australia, right, this isn't the way that we
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  Speaker 3: should be living a disabled you know, a disabled lady
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  Speaker 3: who has been sexually soulded. It's disgusting behavior and unfortunately
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  Speaker 3: these things are far too frequent in our community at
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  Speaker 3: the moment.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, mate, I'm hearing you.
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  Speaker 1: You know, we feel the same and a lot of
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  Speaker 1: very frustrated people as well. After interviewing the Chief Minister
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  Speaker 1: a bit earlier this morning, because I think that all
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: of us are sort of feeling as though the government
• 9:55
  Speaker 1: doesn't have the urgency around this issue that they really
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: should have.
• 10:02
  Speaker 3: Yeah, well, we've said many times and lots of people
• 10:05
  Speaker 3: have said, up, this is an emergency as was COVID.
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  Speaker 3: Right We've seen a government on the front foot with COVID.
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  Speaker 3: They were doing press conferences every day, they were changing legislation,
• 10:15
  Speaker 3: putting in emergency powers every single day. We just want
• 10:18
  Speaker 3: them to handle this the same way as they did
• 10:21
  Speaker 3: handle COVID. And I know many people have said that
• 10:24
  Speaker 3: to you and to other media outlets, but this is
• 10:27
  Speaker 3: the same. This is more dangerous to us than what
• 10:29
  Speaker 3: COVID was. We kept getting told we were the safest
• 10:32
  Speaker 3: place in the world with COVID, but right now, living here,
• 10:35
  Speaker 3: it's one of the unsafest places. It's definitely one of
• 10:37
  Speaker 3: the unsafest places in Australia. And that's the reality that's
• 10:41
  Speaker 3: got to set in with the decision makers is you
• 10:43
  Speaker 3: need to be on the front foot here. You need
• 10:45
  Speaker 3: to handle it the same as COVID and start putting
• 10:47
  Speaker 3: in emergency powers to make a difference instantly.
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: Matt Patterson, the mayor of Alice Springs. I always appreciate
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: your time mate, thanks very much for having a chat
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: with me again this morning.
• 10:58
  Speaker 3: Anytime, Thanks Katie, thank you.