By ALEX NELSON During most of the 2000s I worked at the Olive Pink Botanic Garden, and two decades ago gained an insight into just how zealous keen birdwatchers and twitchers can be when news spread of sightings of an obscure little bird, the grey honeyeater, at the botanic garden. This was prompted by observations […]

The Central Desert Regional Council has sent “to the legal team” questions from the Alice Springs News about car expenses for its President, Adrian Dixon (pictured). No answers were given by Regional Manager Shiju Thomas. The President is entitled to have one car but usually has two: “The President may choose to have a dedicated […]

Letter to the Editor Treasurer Jim Chalmers, in his Budget speech stated: “And we’re easing pressure on the housing market by banning foreign investors from buying established homes, and cracking down on foreign land banking as well.” Foreign investors have been prohibited from buying established homes since 1975. Regardless, politicians continue to blame investors, foreigners […]

By ERWIN CHLANDA Pine Gap isn’t the Centre’s only chip in the current global defence poker game. The pot includes two antennae on the ground, each some three kilometres long, north-west and north-east of Alice Springs (pictured). And Canada is having the better hand than Donald Trump. The facilities are part of the Jindalee Operational […]

By ERWIN CHLANDA The Territory Education Department maintains statistics on racial grounds, comparing the school attendance rate of Aboriginal children with that of Non-Aboriginal children. The difference is around 30% in favour of the latter – a margin that in most other fields would spark public outrage. Yet in these statistics, collected for at least […]

By MIKE GILLAM More frequently than I’d care to admit, I go out bush looking for specific wildlife behaviour and in the process stumble onto quarry of greater significance. On this occasion, in the company of Linguist and Musicologist Myfany Turpin, we travelled to Artarre (Tara) Community 243 km north of Alice Springs. Artarre, she […]

By ERWIN CHLANDA The debt exceeding $11 billion and growing, costing the taxpayer “a million bucks a day” in interest. The number of people in prison at an all time high. Crime exceeding the courts’ capacity to deal with it. The “national” Aboriginal art gallery still a dog’s breakfast. Who would want to be a […]

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Senator Jacqui Lambie’s suggestion that Australia should close Pine Gap in response to President Trump’s imposition of tariffs on Australian steel exports to the US, highlights the importance of Australian sovereignty. However, Senator Lambie’s commendably strong response to the Trump administration’s bullying contains a serious problem. The threats posed to Australia […]

By ERWIN CHLANDA The NT’s four Aboriginal land councils are calling for the Territory Coordinator Bill to be dumped. The Bill excludes Aboriginal people from involvement in development decisions on their traditional lands and prevents them from protecting their land and culture, says a media statement, claiming the government plans to use its majority to […]

By PADDY WEIR The heat didn’t beat the Alice Springs Off Road Race Club (ASORRC) on the weekend: They ran the prologue of the NT Titles Round 1 at 5pm on Saturday, a lot later than usual, and this was followed by two separate 31km laps. Shane Greening set the pace coming first in prologue, […]