Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Darwin's Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis says he's been pushing for the Chief Minister to meet with the LGANT for 3 years and yesterday it happened with crime topping the agenda

Transcript

Darwin's Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis says he's been pushing for the Chief Minister to meet with the LGANT for 3 years and yesterday it happened with crime topping the agenda · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Now joining me on the line. Right now, we know
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: that there was a meeting yesterday with all of the
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: Northern territories mayors. As I understand it, they met with
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: the Chief Minister and attached to files. I also met
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: with the Police Minister and the Police Commissioner. Now joining
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: me is convat Scolars. Good morning conn Good morning Katie Corn.
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: How did that amazing go yesterday?
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: It went very well, Katie. Seventeen councils of the Northern Territory,
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: all the councils of the Northern Territory were there, either
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: by the Presidents of Mayors or the CEOs. We had
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: a very constructive meeting and we actually first of all
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: would pull our heart out to the Chief Minister out
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: planning the problems we face not only in Dawell and
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: Parmers and other springs, but also the smaller councils and
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: remote communities and associal behavior, kids running a mack, criminal activities,
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: flashing off schools, burning schools down, child cares and as
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: we actually speak, spoke openly to the Chief Minister, and
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: I have to say that they all listen to us.
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: And the outcome out of this meeting was that actually
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: we now have another meeting coming up in about four
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: months time. The Chief Minister wants to meet again with
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: the Presidents and with myself of course more regularly. But
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: the commitment that the government is prepared to work with
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: us to address these issues is something we wanted.
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: Now, Colin, what does it all mean for Territorians, because
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: I guess that you know the message we're hearing loudly
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: and clearly from our listeners is that people are over us.
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: You know, they thick of the talking. I want to
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: see some action. Are you expecting to see some action?
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: I don't expect, Katie. I want to see some actions.
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: People are fed up. We had enough. Everybody had enough.
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: It's not happening only in down in Palmiston, raid springs
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: is happeningsline money, Grida in you demon in other places.
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: The presidents that mayors gave real examples to the Chief
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: Minister of what's happened in the communities, the level of violence,
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: domestic violence, people drinking, people misbehaving, the loss of customer
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: authority of the elders in the communities, and as the
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: Mayor of Tea we put it bluntly, people now think
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: the abnormal has become normal. And should not be like that.
• 2:12
  Speaker 2: We should step in now and stop this happening, because
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: if you don't do it, it's going to get much
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: much worse than the real future.
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: Con from your perspective, what action has been.
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: Flagged, Katie. We identify problems, but we said the Chief Minister,
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: we're not here to wins. We give you a list
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: of the problems, but at the same time he gives
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: you a list of solutions, real solutions, because we know
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: our communities, we know what works and what doesn't work.
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: So Chief Minister, we prepare to work with you. Make
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: sure that your government's prepared to work with us.
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: And any you know, any sort of potential action that's
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: going to well, it's already been flagged, that's going to happen.
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: Yes, the Chief Minister promised that actually the heir Ministers
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: and heir CEOs will work closely with the local governments.
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: And we're the ones close to the people. We know
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: the problems, we know where the problems are. We can
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: actually highlight them. We also told them we're there to
• 3:05
  Speaker 2: actually do things. They don't have to fly public servance
• 3:08
  Speaker 2: in and out of communities. They only have to talk
• 3:11
  Speaker 2: to us, and not only we can provide the solutions,
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: but we can do the work for them. We've got
• 3:16
  Speaker 2: the skills, the capacity, the knowledge and the will to
• 3:19
  Speaker 2: do it.
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: And con do you feel as though the council has
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: a pretty big role to apply in all of those
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: communities in trying to sort of, you know, to calm
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: this issue down and sort things out.
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: Yes, o Katie. We can. Currently seventy percent of our
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: workers are Indigenous people because we have a big significant
• 3:38
  Speaker 2: number of Indigenous councils. We know how to do things.
• 3:41
  Speaker 2: We have been done. We have done it in the past.
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: A lot of communities in the past had their own
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: working groups, their own equipment, They kept their communities alive,
• 3:49
  Speaker 2: that kept their communities well maintained and provide local employment.
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: When we start centralizing things and we had to fly
• 3:57
  Speaker 2: contractors from Dowwa or other springs or down south, everything
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: went into help. We can do it again. Just give
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: us the capacity, trust us and provide us the opportunities
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: and the money and we will do it for the government.
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: So con, following on from this meeting yesterday, do you
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: feel as though we are going to start to see
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: some change in this space.
• 4:17
  Speaker 2: I think the fact that within four months after we
• 4:19
  Speaker 2: asked for a meeting. We've got a meeting with the
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: Chief Minister. Speaks for itself. We've been trying for three
• 4:24
  Speaker 2: and a half years before we never got a meeting.
• 4:26
  Speaker 2: This time we've got a meeting. And the fact that
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: the Chief Minister and the Ministerial policean housing we're there,
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: it sows that actually they realized they've got a problem,
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: and they realized I need people and to help them,
• 4:37
  Speaker 2: and the local government is one of this group that
• 4:40
  Speaker 2: can help the government and of course helping our people.
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: So con you've been asking for a meeting with the
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: Chief Minister for the last three and a half years, Legain.
• 4:51
  Speaker 2: He's been asking for a meeting with the Chief Minister
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: for three years. We didn't get to one. We got
• 4:56
  Speaker 2: one yesterday.
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: All right. Well, let's hope that you that meeting does
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: lead to some you know, to some change in this space.
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: As you and I have discussed before, there's certainly been
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: issues that our listeners have been raising. I'm sure that
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: the constituents that live throughout Darwin and all of the
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: other councils around the territory have been raising those issues
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: with their mayors and presidents as well. So let's hope
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: that everybody can work together and really see some change.
• 5:21
  Speaker 2: We have been asking for a lot of things. One
• 5:23
  Speaker 2: of the things we have been asking in Darwen and
• 5:25
  Speaker 2: Palmerston more police on the streets. Guess what community is
• 5:29
  Speaker 2: asking for? More police on their communities. So everybody thinks
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: that community policing is the key to address a the
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: social behavior because people do not misbehavior. They think they're
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: going to be a policeman around the corner or a
• 5:42
  Speaker 2: police woman around the corner. And we have to start
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: on the basics. We don't We're not going to change
• 5:46
  Speaker 2: the world tomorrow, but let's start slowly and steadily and
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: we will make a change. Well.
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: Combat scarlets, the Lord Mayor of Darwin, we appreciate your
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: time this morning. Thanks for having a chat with us.
• 5:56
  Speaker 2: Thank you mate, Thank you