By ERWIN CHLANDA
The town’s focus in 2025 will be on a fight for survival of the travel industry and the nearly 400 members of Tourism Central Australia will need to join forces.
That was the unanimous view of the 150 people who attended the organisation’s AGM yesterday evening.
The trade’s doyen, Brendan Heenan, who developed the town’s largest caravan park and for decades has played a major role in tourism promotion, told the meeting four of the past five years had been bad, leading to a 50% decline in earnings.
A principal reason was claims on social media about crime although there has been a recent improvement.
Mr Heenan called for significant support from the Federal Government.
However, the meeting was told not all is lost.
An online travel agency will soon announce a $250 discount on air fares.
The NT Government is providing visitors with a 25% support payment for accommodation, tours, transport and attractions.
And forward bookings sold by TCA for the three months from December to February have more than doubled, from $309,000 in 2023 and 2024 compared to $641,000 in 2024 and 2025.
TCA CEO Danial Rochford says this may be a useful window into the industry’s Year 2025.
Part of last night’s crowd.
Poor trading has led to the decline in the value of businesses which now can’t borrow to keep going, said Mr Heenan, suggesting that pubic support must be broad.
“When the Federal Government gave $250m, to whom we don’t know, we did not see any programs to support children and their families to give them support and education that they needed.
“It has been very difficult to obtain information where the money has been spent and what outcomes were achieved.”
The crime rate dropped since the new NT government was elected last year, said Mr Heenan.
Alice Springs needs “moral and financial support from the Federal Government.
“We have lost four generations of Indigenous families.”
TCA members, speaking with the Alice Springs News before the meeting, whose start was delayed by a power outage for half an hour, commented harshly about the smearing of the town in social media.
Said Mr Heenan during his speech: “The Action for Alice Facebook page needs to do a 180 degree turn and start supporting the town and businesses with good stories.
“We don’t want to see more businesses close and people leaving Alice Springs.”
Workers asked to come to town “are saying no because of the perceived crime.
“If we don’t speak up now we will never be heard.”
Mr Heenan called for designating the town and region as rural and remote, creating accelerated depreciation tax incentives for businesses, and a shorter depreciation period, five to 10 years instead of 40 years.
An education hub should be created particular focussing on nursing, health, teaching, facilitated through the Charles Darwin University and with an Alice Springs campus.
It would enable Indigenous students to embark on tertiary studies without leaving their communities.
“I sent that [a letter with his suggestions] to the Prime Minister in May last year. I never got a reply,” said Mr Heenan.
Mayor Matt Paterson told the meeting the Town Council has been consulting about the CBD redevelopment, 50% of which has now been closed to public comment.
“Part of the project is a public art component,” said Mayor Paterson. There are three things in local government that are very difficult to handle, he said – tree species, car parking and public art.
“It is a very big piece of art, it is at stage one, what happens then is whoever is picked will go to stage two, but everything is on the table.
“I urge you all to put in a submission.
“The new visitor information centre is going into the library and we’re looking at the river, a big Alice Springs sign, and very Instagrammable … such as a light show, like Parrtjima in the Mall, those sorts of things, statues of prominent Indigenous people.
“Everything is on the table.
“Unlike Uncle Kon [Mayor Vatskalis] in Darwin I don’t want to have the Cyclone Tracy sort of scenario,” he said, referring to the controversy over a sculpture commissioned to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the cyclone.
PHOTO AT TOP: Proposed redevelopment of the mall. The existing Uniting Church is in the centre of the image.
During extensive travels interstate became apparent to me that we have lost our sense of history.
I saw what I think many tourists expect to see here. I noticed the wonderful architecture and shopfronts on shops in western Queensland with a historical story to tell.
The hitching rail at Bojangles said it all. We lost that in favour of buildings with no historical character. My first beer here nearly was in the old Bull Bar in what is now the Plaza, with original buff horn in the background. That was a tourist icon.
Now it’s a series of under utilised retail spaces. I believe what tourists want to experience are not flash supermarket car parks or flashy supreme court like skylines.
I also noted interstate water cascade features. Common interstate and great fun, seemingly not mentioned here. What a great way to attract young custom into the CBD.
Parking is the eternal problem as those of us with mild disabilities will testify. The fast food outlets based their sites on traffic access. We did not address that as heavy vehicle traffic was never envisaged but that’s now the reality.
There were alternatives but seemingly not noticed, particularly in relation to close living. In the CBD in Adelaide there is a development called Christies Close which is built around a central community garden. A wonderful concept that could have worked well here on Gap Road and elsewhere, but dollars count more than people for most developers.
That came to light last year when I asked an interstate developer why he did not incorporate rain water tanks in his houses here in a desert. His answer: “The per sq metre return from car ports was higher.”
I then asked him why not put water tanks under the carport? He had no answer, but it’s that kind of innovative thinking that could make the town right at the top of attracting people to visit, live and experience.
That could have happened at Kilgariff but did not. Now they might just as well be approaching Adelaide from either the North or South. It’s that sideways thinking that has never happened here in the 44 years I have been here.
It has happened in other places. Yackandandah in Victoria is self sufficient in electricity and promotes itself as such to visitors.
There are many more examples of towns promoting themselves on what they have and which is different and in keeping with their history.
One town in NSW has its solar panels floating on the sewerage ponds! We have never looked around and we have so much to learn by looking around and the truth is that the current CBD has largely outgrown itself.
I was asked recently where can they experience authentic bush tucker and learn about Indigenous medicine. A good question, but surely those good people at the correction centre or CLC could be involved and promoted. Let’s broaden our horizons. It/s not all about top end tourism and high yielding hotels.
Were any representatives of the Australian Government statutory authority, namely the “Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation” (established in 1995) present, which is charged with national responsibility to acquire land and manage assets such as Voyages (Ayers Rock Resort), NIPE, NCIE etc, which they own, as well as limiting access to such other places as Lake Eyre, so that they could inform you of their intentions for the continued viability of the Australian tourist industry, especially in Central Australia?
“The new visitor information centre is going into the library”
Wow!
Apparently this is a Memorandum of Understanding between the NT Government and the Council.
What is happening to the Library?
Apparently it will go to “temporary premises” and then to a new building.
Where and when will the new premises be?
As a regular and heavy user of the Library, it’s not good enough to have the Library in limbo.
How much will it cost to move to “temporary premises” and then again to a new location.
The library is an essential and much loved community service, and is a cross cultural space used by many local Aboriginal people and community groups.
It is also heavily used by the visitors the move is supposed to be catering for.
These questions should have been answered before entering the deal.
I can see the “temporary” library being a travesty of the present facility, and the “new building” fading into the distant future.
I understand that this was another Mattalone job, with Council asked to sign off on it after the event.
Council staff didn’t seem to know either.
Paterson has questions to answer.