Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Darwin Dino Fest has claimed on Facebook the event is STILL going ahead in Jingili. Interim Darwin City Council CEO Simone Saunders warns there is still no venue booked for the event.

Transcript

Darwin Dino Fest has claimed on Facebook the event is STILL going ahead in Jingili. Interim Darwin City Council CEO Simone Saunders warns there is still no venue booked for the event. · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: The City of Darwin's joined the Northern Territory Consumer Affairs
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Commissioner in warning territories off buying tickets to the Dinosaur
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: Festival after it was revealed that the festival hadn't secured
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: a venue or a permit from the Darwin City Council
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: to hold a show at the Jingly Water Gardens as
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: they've advertised. Now, I would have thought that that would
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: have been enough for them to stop advertising. The fact that,
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: you know, we had the Consumer Affairs Commissioner basically saying
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: to people, don't go and buy these tickets they don't
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: have a location. But they've hit back in recent days
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: they've said on their Facebook page that the event is
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: going to be going ahead, adding that they've confirmed the
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: venue in Darwin and that the Dinosaur Festival will be
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: going ahead at the Jingly Water Gardens. It's certainly leaving
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: people pretty confused, to say the least. Now joining me
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: on the line right now is the Interim CEO at
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: the Darwin City Council, Simone Saunders. Good morning to you, Simone,
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: Good morning Katie Simone. What exactly is the situation here
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: from the Council's perspective? Has there been an application come
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: in from this dinosaur festival.
• 1:07
  Speaker 2: We did receive an application earlier this year in April,
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: and the required documentation for an application to actually be
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: approved wasn't met. But the operators withdrew their application on
• 1:21
  Speaker 2: the thirtieth of May, and there is no secured venue,
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: a City of Darwen venue for the event, despite what
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: has been reported on their social media page.
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: Yeah, it's incredibly frustrating, isn't it. I mean, I know
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: you and I have both got little kids. If you know,
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: if you're thinking about booking in to take them to
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: something like this, and you're thinking to yourself, well, hang
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: on a second. The authorities are telling me one thing,
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: but then they're continuing to advertise saying that it's going
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: to go ahead. It is incredibly frustrating.
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: Yeah, most definitely. And I think some of the most
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: recent social media posts sort of referring to a council
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: jesting additional venues, it's simply not actually correct from our perspective.
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: There is no other other application. There is no Darwin
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: Darwin venues that have been approved for this, and I
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: really do, I guess want to draw the Darwin community
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: to last Monday, the Anti consumer Affairs issuing a consumer
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: warning in relation to the Dinosaur Festival, and I think
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: you know, consumers should really in the community should have
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: a look at what was issued by Anti Consumer Affairs
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: because it does contain all the information that consumers need.
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: So Simone, at this point in time, as far as
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: the City of Darwin is concerned, there is actually no
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: application from the Dinosaur Festival to go ahead at the
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: Jingly Water Gardens or any other venue.
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: That's correct.
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: Well all right, well, and I guess you know the
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: warning really is as you've just suggested that Consumer Affairs
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: as well have said er on the side of caution,
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: I'm assuming that the City of Darwin is really saying
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: the same thing here.
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: Yeah, we are, definitely and just furthered that we issued
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: legal a legal letter to the promoters of this festival
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: on Friday as well despite previous correspondence which has been ignored.
• 3:16
  Speaker 2: The legal letter was issued on Friday. But really anything
• 3:19
  Speaker 2: on their their social media page, I think consumers need
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: to read with extreme caution, and the fact that the City
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: of Dowhen is saying there is no venue confirmed for
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: this event.
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: And so Simone, what exactly did you say to them
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: in that letter.
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: I mean, the letter really refers to a lot of
• 3:37
  Speaker 2: the commentary on on their social media page, which is
• 3:40
  Speaker 2: which is fault and misleading and not factually correct.
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: Oh well, so, so the situation right now is realistically
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: for consumers particularly you know a few parents out there
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: listening throughout the school holidays thinking oh, this could be
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: something exciting to take the kids to. There is no permit,
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: they have no location secured, so you know, really err
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: on that extreme side of caution.
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: Absolutely, that would be City of Darwin's advice to the community.
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: Well, Simon, we really appreciate your time this morning. Thank
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: you so much for having a chat with us and
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: clarifying that for our listeners.
• 4:17
  Speaker 2: No promise. Great to talk to you.
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: Thank you.