Issue 30

What makes a patch of dirt a place, is that it has been traversed, crossed, marked ... RUSSELL GOLDFLAM, President of the Criminal Lawyers’ Association of the NT, opened the Alice Springs outing of the traveling exhibition roads cross: contemporary directions in Australian art.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Chief Minister Adam Giles announced at the Property Council luncheon that the Government is on the verge of signing off a deal to secure a 99-year lease over 10,000 hectares on the Tiwi Islands. I have deep concerns that traditional owner consultation hasn't adequately occurred and have called on the Chief Minister to disclose all details of this secret deal to ensure Government transparency and accountability, writes Leader of the Opposition, Delia Lawrie.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

The Opposition Leader should explain what she has against Aboriginal people using their land to create jobs, writes Adam Giles, Chief Minister.

The Fair Work Commission is conducting a hearing today on the situation of 500 permanent teachers across the NT who may not have a job next year due to the NT Government’s cuts to its education budget. Permanent experienced teachers, some of whom have been teaching in the Territory for many years if not decades and who have found themselves not attached to a particular school, now face an uncertain future. KIERAN FINNANE reports.

Kylie Bonanni (pictured), with 4223 first preference votes, has a convincing lead over Matty Day (2253) at the close of primary votes counting for the Alice Springs Town Council by-election yesterday. ERWIN CHLANDA reports.

Preference deal jockeying aside, the by-election campaign is a chance to take the pulse of the town mid-term of the current Town Council. On the eve of the vote the Alice Springs News Online asked candidates what they had learned about local concerns and what impression they have taken from the campaign of the mood of the community. KIERAN FINNANE reports.

The alcohol reform movement is moving nationally with a flurry of reports and press statements released in recent days. Let’s take a look at some of them. RUSSELL GUY's Alcohol Watch.

Image: Exposing children to alcohol before birth exposes them to serious harms. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder was the focus of a conference in Brisbane on Tuesday.

UPDATED, November 23, 2013: Operation successful ....

Alice Springs News Online editor Erwin Chlanda was injured in a hit and run accident on Tuesday night. He was evacuated to Royal Adelaide Hospital yesterday where he will be operated on for a broken femur and pelvis.

Commissioner for Public Employment, Ken Simpson, today revised his offer for an agreement covering Northern Territory Public Sector (NTPS) teachers and educators,  give the union an opportunity to secure a pay increase for teachers from 21 November.

Striking teachers gathered outside Centralian Senior College early this morning to bring their protest against school staffing cuts to the attention of motorists heading to work. They got plenty of honks in support before later joining colleagues in a rally in the town centre. KIERAN FINNANE asked them about the impacts of the proposed cuts, especially in the middle and senior schools. The teachers returned to work this afternoon despite the "lockout" by the Commissioner of Public Employment.

It was a lovely morning: The medium-sized crowd had pedalled from the Old Eastside to the council lawns. Some had umbrellas, as had been suggested for the local manifestation of the national Climate Change GetUp Rally yesterday. The clothing was colourful, the placards stirring and the speeches generated that warm, fuzzy feeling in the tummy. ERWIN CHLANDA today spoke with ALEC's Jimmy Cocking, one of the event's organisers.

Without the love, the artistry might have felt abstract; without the artistry, the love might have felt sentimental. As it was Somebody Everybody, a theatrical performance by the StArts with D ensemble, united both in a deeply satisfying and moving experience. Members of StArts with D are people with disabilities and, as the show reveals, unsuspected depths of ability, writes KIERAN FINNANE. Photos by ERWIN CHLANDA.