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Katie Woolf spoke with Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Joining me in the studio right now is the Lord
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Mayor of Darwin, Convat Scarlets. Good morning to Yukon.
• 0:05
  Speaker 2: Good morning Katy.
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: Now, con first off, I understand that there has been
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: one of the mahogany trees which has fallen in the city.
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: The African mahogany will part of it, so one of
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: the branches earlier this week. We know that these trades
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: have obviously caused issues in the past. You and I
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: have spoken about it before. What's the situation with this
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: particular trade.
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: Well, it was assessed by an arborist before and it
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: was not detected because some of them actually become rotten inside,
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: but they don't show any signs outside. And they said
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: that they are branches. They're not the only trees. I
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: mean the white gums. They call them widow killers because
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: they dropped branches too. Now, we inherited quite a few
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: of these trees. We examine them every six months to
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: find out what's happening. Recently we removed another mahogany at
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: the cenotaph near the Eternal Flame because the arbory said
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: it was dangerous, so we cut it down completely. What
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  Speaker 2: I do ask my CEO to do now, is to
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  Speaker 2: reconvene the tree Committee to assess what we've got. Now,
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: I find a way to actually get a regulous assessment
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  Speaker 2: of these remaining trees, about three hundred, I believe, and
• 1:07
  Speaker 2: if necessary, we'll be removing the ones that saw signs
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: of fatigue. We already down that one in Nightcliff. If
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: you remember, there was a huge mahogany tree near the playground.
• 1:18
  Speaker 2: Somebody heard crack noises. Immediately we removed it because you
• 1:21
  Speaker 2: can't trust them if you need only a movement by
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  Speaker 2: the wind and something will come down. We have to
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: live with them at the moment, but certainly we take
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: any precautions to make sure they're safe.
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: So at this point in time, it's not time to
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: go out and remove all three hundred of those African mahoganies.
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: There's no reason for that one if they are not
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  Speaker 2: showing any signs, but certainly are ARBORI is the qualified,
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  Speaker 2: fully qualified will go and we'll remove the one that risk.
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: The other thing, you have to remember, if they said
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: one big branch, then the tree becomes unbalanced, they might say. Others.
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: The mahogany that said the branch in Wood Street today
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  Speaker 2: is actually removed and I know very well because I
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: drove there and I had to look the guys around
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  Speaker 2: Big change us cutting it down.
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  Speaker 1: So no need for us to rush out though and
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: get rid of all these African mahoganies. We've just got
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: to make sure that we're monitoring.
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: Got any concern, please talk to us and we certainly
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: we'll go immediately to assess them and find out what's
• 2:12
  Speaker 2: happening now.
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: Con the other thing that is on the agenda again,
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  Speaker 1: I know there's a couple of council aldermen, Rebecca want
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: to Row and also Alderman justin Glover fighting against the
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: development at lee Point. We heard from justin Glover just
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: last week. We know that Miss want Duau is calling
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: for counsel to write to the Environment Minister Evil Lawler
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: asking to freeze construction until the Northern Territory Planning Commission
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: will completes a thorough area plan. Con does the council
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: need to do this?
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  Speaker 2: Look, every councilor or alderman is entitled to bring a
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: motion to counsul, but it has to be debated and
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: he has to be decided by the majority of the aldermen.
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: Now let me point out that this one was brought
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: to council in twenty fourteen and was approved by council unanimously.
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: Actually one of the aldermen was a person who seconded
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: to be to be accepted. Then it was brought back
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: again twice and always it was accepted. It was passed
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: by council. We even discussed the leap point when we're
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: discussing the cat situation in the area, and that it
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: brought any issues about Leep Point. The reality is Leepoint
• 3:18
  Speaker 2: now has been done and dusty to be signed off
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: by the Minister, and I doubt very much the Minister
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: will go back and actually do anything at all. But
• 3:25
  Speaker 2: let me put it that way. People live currently in
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: Lions protesting for leap point, I would like to remind
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: them that Lions were exactly the same situation like Leepoint.
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: They was bush and was cleared up for new houses.
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: Leannia was the same, New hit was the same. Any
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: Sabbabi Darwin was exactly the same. Because there's nowhere else
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  Speaker 2: to go. You can't go north and west because the
• 3:44
  Speaker 2: sea you can only go down south. It's Palmerston. Well, look,
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  Speaker 2: I think it's unfair for us. We've done Reva houses
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: were all right, thank you very much, Jack, And don't
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: worry about the young people. Where are we going to
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: build houses for young people? Think about it. These are
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: your children, my children, everybody else. Children need houses. And
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: the other thing, of course, is this misinformation about rainforest.
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  Speaker 2: There was never a rainforest there, Kate. I used to
• 4:11
  Speaker 2: be in the Air Force as an officer and I
• 4:13
  Speaker 2: used to visit the facility that was there that took
• 4:16
  Speaker 2: Karoo for many many years. It was scrub It was
• 4:19
  Speaker 2: degraded for the same reason because the Air Force did
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: not need and did not work. Think thick vegetation if.
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: You go there virtue signaling? Do you think by a
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: couple of aldermen? Or like? When? Is I mean?
• 4:31
  Speaker 2: Like?
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: Really it sounds though, it sounds as though nothing much
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: can change.
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: Here, will not change. I think the term to put
• 4:37
  Speaker 2: it blund in a grandstanding.
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: Corn When is that council made in Judah happen? Is
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: it next week?
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  Speaker 2: Next week?
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  Speaker 1: There might be others on the council, though, I guess
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: who agree with the two oldermen.
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  Speaker 2: Well, from what I send from the council, I mean
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  Speaker 2: most people say, well, hold on twenty fourteen it was approved.
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: Come back seven years later and ask to disapprove it.
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  Speaker 2: Why do you stop there? How about would this approved
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: Perrap or Leania or Nightcliffe? I mean where do we stop?
• 5:01
  Speaker 2: I mean if you approved it, that means either your
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: dinner with your paper and you didn't know what you're
• 5:05
  Speaker 2: voting for, or you agreed with it and you voted
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: for it.
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: Well, both of those people were on council previously as well, though.
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: Did that well? Obviously because of the minutes it sows
• 5:14
  Speaker 2: that it was voted in Unanis mostly so every single
• 5:17
  Speaker 2: councilor in the council at the time voted for Lippoint
• 5:21
  Speaker 2: to go ahead.
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: And were they both on council then.
• 5:24
  Speaker 2: Yes they were. Now people might disagree with the development personally,
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: I've got some problems and I expressed my opinion that look,
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: I don't like this development because it's got too many
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: blocks that are too small. You can't have three hundred
• 5:36
  Speaker 2: and four hundred. I think they're too small. But people
• 5:38
  Speaker 2: like small blocks, like a big house in a small block.
• 5:41
  Speaker 2: Who am I to argue about it. I would like
• 5:42
  Speaker 2: to see something minimum six hundred. It doesn't happen. But
• 5:45
  Speaker 2: people make choices. People choose what they want to buy
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: where they want to buy con.
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: I want to ask you let's move along, because the
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: City of Darwin is going to be hosting an historical
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: exercise of exercise of freedom of entry parade throughout the
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: city for the one hundred anniversary of rapt based Darwin.
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: It's happening on Saturday, isn't it This Saturday?
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  Speaker 2: This Saturday morning? And I'll be very very pleased to
• 6:08
  Speaker 2: be there because it would be the City of Darwin
• 6:11
  Speaker 2: thirteen Squadron parading exercisely film to Edery and I have
• 6:14
  Speaker 2: to say with a great pride, I was a member
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: of thirteen Squadron from nineteen ninety four to two thousand
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  Speaker 2: and one, and I'll be wearing my insignia on my
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: robes to honor the thirteen Squadron doing the freedom to
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: Editary Aldable. I've been here for a long, long long time,
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  Speaker 2: the exercising and old tradition the end of the city,
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: and I'm looking forward to it. And I'm pretty sure
• 6:35
  Speaker 2: a lot of people will actually come down and have
• 6:37
  Speaker 2: a look at the parade.
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: I'm sure they will be. Now I can't let you
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: go without asking you very quickly. Andrew and Sarah, who
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: cover Breakfast on Mix in the mornings. They want to
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: be to ask you what work did you do all
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: those years ago to get Elton John to Darwin because
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: they want to try and get the Kiss concert here
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: in Darwin and they're wondering if he can help them out.
• 6:57
  Speaker 2: Now, Alan James at the time, he was actually working
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: with a promotion group. He came to my office and
• 7:03
  Speaker 2: they said, I need your help. I said why, I said,
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  Speaker 2: I went to the treasurer and asked for some money
• 7:07
  Speaker 2: to bring elto John here and then wouldn't give him
• 7:09
  Speaker 2: the money. I said, Elton John, I said, yes, the
• 7:12
  Speaker 2: real Elder John. Yes, how much do you need? Said
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  Speaker 2: I need about one hundred and thirty seven thousand dollars.
• 7:17
  Speaker 2: I said done. Minister of Tourist, I asked my deparm
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  Speaker 2: to find a hundred and seven But a Minister, what
• 7:24
  Speaker 2: happens is bringing elto John to town? Are you serious? Yes?
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  Speaker 1: I was, and did give you a good return in
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: terms of people traveling today and obviously.
• 7:32
  Speaker 2: To cut people from Brisbane and Perth coming to Darwin
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  Speaker 2: to actually see Elton John. It was held at the
• 7:39
  Speaker 2: Marara Stadium. It was awesome and it was full. So
• 7:43
  Speaker 2: one hundred and thirty seven thousand dollars investment by the government.
• 7:46
  Speaker 2: Our record brought a return of more than a million
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  Speaker 2: and a half. What do you reckon?
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  Speaker 1: Should I be lobbying the current tourism minister to get
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: kissed Tod go for it.
• 7:54
  Speaker 2: I don't know about kiss but if it was something different,
• 7:56
  Speaker 2: it might be I might be able to help you,
• 7:58
  Speaker 2: like you know, avar reunion in Darwin and something like that.
• 8:01
  Speaker 2: But I think if you don't ask, you don't get again.
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  Speaker 2: Do your homework, find out how many people like he,
• 8:06
  Speaker 2: how many people come here and go for it?
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: Oh well, conbat scarlets, the Lord Mayor of Darwin always
• 8:11
  Speaker 1: good to catch up with you. Thanks so much for
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: your time this morning, you two. It is