Issue 27

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

The sacred sites fiasco over the Mbantua Festivals once again puts the actions of the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority (AAPA) in the spotlight, writes Steve Brown, of Alice Springs. PHOTO: Men dancing at the Overland Telegraph Station during the festival was one of the issues raised by the authority.

About 700 people came to the Ayers Rock Resort last week to hear the Darwin Symphony Orchestra play under the stars on Friday and Saturday, and 3200 people listened to the concert at the Alice Springs golf course (photo) on Sunday evening.

Lhere Artepe Enterprises has discharged a multi-million dollar debt to a private lender, and put in place a debt repayment schedule it can service with its existing assets. However, it is unlikely to make money from its Mount Johns residential development (above). ERWIN CHLANDA reports.

The latest Great Railway Journey in Alice Springs you take not inside a train, but on top of it. ERWIN CHLANDA reports. PHOTO: Volunteer Dallas doing a track inspection.

Another skateboarder, Storm Vincent, has been fined $576 by town council rangers for not producing ID – which he had shown to rangers – and in addition, $144 for skateboarding in the CBD. ERWIN CHLANDA reports.

Photographer Steve Strike (pictured), who for decades put The Centre before the nation and the world, is leaving town. He spoke with ERWIN CHLANDA.

Only 30 residential blocks will be built in stage one of the new Kilgariff suburb south of The Gap, Lands Minister Peter Chandler has now confirmed, with blocks to cost from $160,000 to $180,000. ERWIN CHLANDA reports.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Amendments to the Pastoral Land Act allow to run non-pastoral business enterprises on their land for thirty years with an option to extend for a further thirty years writes Willem Westra van Holthe, Minister for Land Resource Management.

Mbantua Festival chairman Neville Perkins attacks Imparja TV for inadequate involvement in the event while he cops flak from the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority. ERWIN CHLANDA reports. PHOTO: Sacred rocks behind the Mbantua performance areas are at the centre of the latest festival controversy.

The controversial pedestrian crossing at The Gap will be removed. ERWIN CHLANDA reports.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

What are parents and carers with teenagers supposed to make of the reduction in teacher numbers? Centralian Senior College stands to lose at least five teachers by the end of this year in the Government displacement programme, writes Penny Whiley, teacher in Philosophy and English at the Centralian Senior College. She is pictured at a recent protest.

The missing faces in this crowd at the Dan Sultan concert on Saturday – and the rest of the Mbantua Festival – are those of the three Members of Parliament representing Alice Springs: Chief Minister Adam Giles (Braitling), Tourism Minister Matt Conlan (Greatorex) and Robyn Lambley (Araluen). Organiser Neville Perkins says 15,000 people attended the five day spectacular but he is "disappointed and disgusted" the three town Members were a no show. Bush MLAs Bess Price (Stuart) and Alison Anderson (Namatjira) attended. The inaugural festival is widely expected to become a major fixture for locals and a knock-out attraction for tourists. ERWIN CHLANDA reports.

Please note updates at FULL STORY from Bess Price, Adam Giles and Imparja.