Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Darwin’s Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis says the NT Government has informed the council about plans to make the Esplanade a heritage listed area which would prevent development

Transcript

Darwin’s Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis says the NT Government has informed the council about plans to make the Esplanade a heritage listed area which would prevent development · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Now joining me on the line is the Lord Mayor
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: of Darwen, Convat Scalars. Good morning to you.
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: Corn, Good morning Katie.
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: Now Corn, I want to firstly just speak to you
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: about a proposal by the Northern Territory Government to turn
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: the Espanade area into a heritage place. So I know
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: that the Espanad is largely City of Darwin Land. This
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: proposal is a heritage application as I understand it covering
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: the entire length of the Esperanade from Doctor's Gully to
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: just before the deck Chair Cinema. Why do they want
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: to do this, That's.
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: The same question I want to ask. First of all
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: the application. It's not only the Esplanade. It incorporates the
• 0:43
  Speaker 2: fish feeding grounds, it incorporates areas of the Eslam not
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: On but it's Darwin City Council and extends and as
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: you said before, it stopped just before the deckt Theater.
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: On the other hand, it extends about five hundred meters
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: into the sea, so it's not only the slande big
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: chunk of foesore of damonsty Council. What's really curious is
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: we only find about it when we receive a letter
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: on the fourteenth of April, and the notification went to
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: the newspaper on the fifteenth of April. In the letter
• 1:15
  Speaker 2: we received the wonders to put a submission about the
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: proposal to turn the whole area into heret displays. Now
• 1:21
  Speaker 2: nothing in the letter says who proposed, who made the proposal,
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: and nothing in the letter says when this proposal was made?
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: But Colin wild Earth did they want to do it anyway?
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: Why are they wanting to heritage list such a huge area.
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: Well, it's very curious for a government that wants to
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: develop a forty billion dollar economy to do something like that.
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: That's going to stop a potential tourism attraction at the
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: bottom of the astronat, not on the top of the
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: astronaut at the bottom of the Islam. What also curious, kay,
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: is why now we are Llawyers did the sert and
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: they find out the original application was made in November
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: twenty one, so application was made to twenty one, none
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: new applications registered since then, and all of a sudden
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: in April twenty twenty three, the government wantso declared the
• 2:12
  Speaker 2: esplant as a heritage place. A lot of questions to
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: be answered there and I don't know what to say,
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: because if you won't really, if you care so much
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: about heritage, why you don't incorporate the sacred side near
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: the open dext theater, and of course the waterfront because
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: that's where the attack and that's where people died during
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: the attack in the Second World War. But just only
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: the slant, very very curious, and the timing is even
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: more curious.
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: Do you think that they try to stop some kind
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: of development. Do you think that this is sparked up
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: because there was that discussion at one point about the RSL.
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: I know you and I have discussed the Lamaru baths
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: at different times. Do you think that that's what's sparked it?
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: Oh, I have no idea. Okay, the legislation with regards
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: local government requires the local government to find economic and
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: tourism opportunities. We identify the Lama robats as a tourist opportunity.
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: I actually spoke to the ministers in federal government and
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: they expressed very very much the interest about it. And
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: now we've got a proposal two years old not being
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: done properly. Because you have to remember, if you read
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: the Act, you find out if the government receive a proposal.
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: They have to do any valiation within six months. They
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: can ask for an extension, but they have to advise
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: the affected landowners. That never happened. Also, a lawyer find
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: out that there has never been a provisional declaration by
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: the minister because we can't find any gazette about it.
• 3:40
  Speaker 2: So this is a really stuff up by government department,
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: as it seems, or a very curious timing.
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: It is very curious timing indeed. But also Colin, what
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: do you think, like if indeed the whole of the
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: Esplanad does become heritage listed, what do you think that
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: would mean? Like? Is it going to be a intrument?
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: Is it going to be a positive thing? What's going
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: to happen?
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: I don't think you can do anything in a heritage place.
• 4:07
  Speaker 2: I mean, what about the people they are running the
• 4:09
  Speaker 2: fish feeding place? Are they going to be affected? Has
• 4:12
  Speaker 2: anybody asked them? Has anybody notified them? Can we put
• 4:16
  Speaker 2: them public act? In the In the Astronaut, we're already
• 4:19
  Speaker 2: planning to put the Mermaid, a beautiful piece of business
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: up there. Now we'll put the stuff on it. We
• 4:25
  Speaker 2: can't do it. I had plans to put the monument
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: to the stolen generation next to the playground in the astronat.
• 4:33
  Speaker 2: Now it's stopped because you've.
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: Stopped, You've stopped those works because you don't know what's
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: going on with this heritage listing.
• 4:40
  Speaker 2: I'm asked my lawyers to find out that we have
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: the bombing of Darwin events or the lending in the
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: Estlanat if it's the clear heritage place. But who in
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: his right mind we'll ask to declare Estlanat hair this
• 4:52
  Speaker 2: place when it's already protected through a significant zoning and
• 4:56
  Speaker 2: Council had nevery intention to develop the astronat their green
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: and treated as always has been so condor.
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: Have you got serious concerns right now that things like
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: the Glente and the bombing of Daro and commemorations are
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: not going to be able to go ahead if it's
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: heritage listed.
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: Well, my lawyers are looking at it and the advice
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: to council what we can do, what we can do,
• 5:17
  Speaker 2: but also the year before again we believe and our
• 5:20
  Speaker 2: lawyers have a very strong position, but the whole process
• 5:23
  Speaker 2: is invalid. The application has lapsed because it took two
• 5:28
  Speaker 2: years process with not following proper process, and there's no
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: gazeteo for provisional declaration by the minister. Obviously, if the
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: government departments can't fold the legislation or another territory government,
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: I think the government's got a problem in their hands.
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: Dad said, I mean, this is a government who came
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: into power on a promise of being open and transparent.
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: How are we in a situation where they're not even
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: liaising with the Council on something like this.
• 5:54
  Speaker 2: We're supposed to work together and Council was very keen
• 5:56
  Speaker 2: to work together with the government with regards to the
• 5:58
  Speaker 2: waterfront and if futurity development, and we're still willing to
• 6:02
  Speaker 2: work with the government. But looks like one hand of
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: the government wants to work with us, the other hand
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: of the government does not. So I think the Chief
• 6:09
  Speaker 2: Minister has to sort this out because it creates a
• 6:13
  Speaker 2: situation of people not having confidence of the government processes
• 6:17
  Speaker 2: and who is going to invest in Darwin If one
• 6:20
  Speaker 2: day a group of people can suddenly decide they won't
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: be clear something heritage area.
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: Well, look, it's one of many questions that I've got
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: at the moment when it comes to the government. But
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: coin I've got a question from a listener right now
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: that's asking, Hello, Katie, can you please ask the mayor
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: who's going to be paying for registration for the scooters
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: if they end up being on the road.
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: My understanding is they're going to be subject to the
• 6:45
  Speaker 2: Traffic Act and they have to pay registration to the government.
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: So as in Neuron would have to do that.
• 6:54
  Speaker 2: Like a car, if you run on the road, it's
• 6:56
  Speaker 2: a vehicle, it will be subject to the Traffic Act.
• 6:59
  Speaker 2: And my understanding is they have to pay registration to
• 7:02
  Speaker 2: the government, not ritory government.
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: And so though that question is obviously in relation to
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: the consultation that the Council has been having around changes
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: in the city when it comes to the speed limits etc.
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: And allowing those scooters onto the road. So the scooters,
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: I believe it's Neuron, So will they have to pay
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: that registration?
• 7:20
  Speaker 2: Absolutely currently they pay a councilor fee because they're using
• 7:23
  Speaker 2: our foot paths. Now, we have to remember that the
• 7:26
  Speaker 2: reduction on the speed limit, it's not exclusively for the scooters.
• 7:30
  Speaker 2: We want to bring down the speed limit to protect
• 7:32
  Speaker 2: pedestrians and also to put in place by plage so
• 7:35
  Speaker 2: people riding their bicycle the city they will not run
• 7:38
  Speaker 2: the danger or being hit by a car doing fifty
• 7:40
  Speaker 2: or sixty kilometers. Scooters will be ancillary to that because
• 7:44
  Speaker 2: the government, I understand they are going to change the
• 7:46
  Speaker 2: legislation to allow them to be on the street.
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: CONU. Just back to the heritage listing of the Esponade.
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: So who's laudged that application?
• 7:55
  Speaker 2: We don't know. Nobody has told us yet. I asked
• 7:58
  Speaker 2: this question and I haven't received an answer yet, so
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: we don't know who did it. We know the time
• 8:03
  Speaker 2: of the original applications the US November twenty teny one.
• 8:07
  Speaker 2: And you remember it was the time when RSL was
• 8:09
  Speaker 2: proposing to build. Yes, they wanted to build in the
• 8:13
  Speaker 2: car park, the new RSL building, which we're knocked back
• 8:17
  Speaker 2: because there's a secret site there.
• 8:19
  Speaker 1: And so has this been really prompted because it was
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: in the paper on the weekend, did you say.
• 8:25
  Speaker 2: Well, no, there was an everyone on the paper for
• 8:28
  Speaker 2: any proposal to develop anything on the Esplanade. There was
• 8:31
  Speaker 2: only notification that the government wants to declare the Esplanade
• 8:35
  Speaker 2: as a heritage place and ask for submissions from the public.
• 8:39
  Speaker 1: Yeah, right now, I'll just I'm just keen to go
• 8:41
  Speaker 1: back and try and find that notification. So I'll make
• 8:44
  Speaker 1: sure that I go and do that. Con We're running
• 8:46
  Speaker 1: out of time, so I do want to just ask you.
• 8:48
  Speaker 1: I know that there is quite a bit that the
• 8:50
  Speaker 1: Council has underway at the moment, including a scam prevention
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: and cyber safety workshop. When's that happening?
• 8:58
  Speaker 2: I don't hear it. I mean ILL spring up the moment,
• 9:00
  Speaker 2: Katy right, I'm attending the Local Government Association Northern Territory AGM.
• 9:06
  Speaker 2: I'm happy to provide this information to you. If you
• 9:09
  Speaker 2: ever look at a website it we'll find it there.
• 9:11
  Speaker 2: But I'll ask friend like you two give you a
• 9:13
  Speaker 2: call yeah and give you oh good.
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: We'll try and find out because I know that there's
• 9:18
  Speaker 1: been a lot of reports at the moment about that
• 9:21
  Speaker 1: situation with people sort of being you know, being targeted
• 9:24
  Speaker 1: when it comes to those cyber attacks. So we'll see
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: if we can find out. Convat Scarlets, the Lord Mayor
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: of Darwin. Always good to speak to you. Thanks so
• 9:32
  Speaker 1: much for your time today.
• 9:33
  Speaker 2: Thank you, Katie. And I just raised an email from
• 9:36
  Speaker 2: the Comma Bank telling me that malccount was frozen and
• 9:39
  Speaker 2: if I don't click in that website, everything is going
• 9:42
  Speaker 2: to stop the problem is. I don't have an account
• 9:45
  Speaker 2: with a Comma.
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: So there you go everyone. That's exactly right.
• 9:52
  Speaker 2: Corn.
• 9:52
  Speaker 1: Always good to catch up. Thanks so much for your
• 9:54
  Speaker 1: time this morning.
• 9:55
  Speaker 2: Thank you.