Local Government

A roadside maintenance mishap has been flipped into a celebration of art, community and horticultural passion in East Side, Mparntwe Alice Springs as the Alice Springs Town Council honours Geoff Miers  with an art installation by Chris Scott on the UndoolyaRd/Lindsay Avenue roundabout that has displayed a profusion of Sturt Desert Peas for over 23 years. The event begins at 7am this Sunday 26 April, with speeches just after 8 broadcast live on 8CCC, followed by market stalls and 8CCC Cafe open to the community throughout the morning.

8CCC Brekky Show caught up with Mparntwe Alice Springs Mayor Asta Hill to discuss some of the business raised at this month's Town Council meeting. Listen back to find out the progress on Todd Mall since the rain and the Council's concerns regarding the response to the Draft Buffel Grass Weeds Management plan. Listeners might be interested to hear the Red Cross Lifeblood has rejected the Mayor's request for the return of a blood donor centre, whether permanent or mobile have been rejected. We chat about the first stage of the new library consultation and the Mayor's meeting with the new NT Administrator here in Mparntwe. There's news about the revised art policy and the live installation and official launch event for the Geoff Miers Commemorative Roundabout, planned for 27 April - stay tuned!

The new Barkly Regional Council's CEO Peter Harder took time out of his busy schedule to chat with 8CCC's Brian Coleman about what he brings to the Barkly Shire, having worked his way up from mechanic to manager. He and his wife are excited to join the community of Tennant Creek as their home. With his hands on approach to getting the work done, he's looking forward to a promising future with everyone working together.

What a year it has been for Mparntwe Alice Springs – and that’s just the first month!Once Mayor Asta Hill announced she would not be attending the Citizenship ceremony on 26 Jan,  much noise and action erupted in our community and resulted in a vibrant to overflowing attendance at the first Town Council for 2026. The socials were running almost as hot as the gruelling 40+ degree days that have ushered in the year, yet the proceedings went ahead with calm and respect and everyone agreed that the Citizenship Ceremony had been a great success and thanked Deputy Mayor Alison Bitar for officiating. One question time participant asked, "...doesn't the Mayor's stance show more consideration to ALL members of her community no matter what opinion they have on this issue?"Contrary to the mood in the room, a petition for the Alice Springs Mayor to resign had been set in motion and the Speaker of the NT Govt later went on the airwaves  of Mix 104.9 to announce that  ‘compliments of the Greens mayor, we now have a community split in half.” “…they got there early, they took all the seats- 70 Greens representatives and about 10 people  there to protest against the mayor. Robyn Lambley concludes that the Greens have taken over the Alice Springs Town Council.Here the Mayor speaks to these comments and takes a moment to talk through her decision based on a crisis of conscience. Other meeting business included the Council's formal submission to the Northern Territory Government on the Draft Buffel Grass Weed Management Plan 2026–2036, and the progress into extending public library weekend hours.

Mayor Asta Hill spoke on the 8CCC Brekky Show about the opening of Newland Skate Park from 9am Friday 19 December. This month's town council meeting, which began with a tribute to Ted Egan AO by Cr Damian Ryan and a minute's silence. Some of the  other items included the proposed Liquor Commission variation of licence conditions, the Todd Mall revitalisation and the petition to extend the Librtary hours over summer.

Barkly Mayor Sid Vashist dropped into the 8CCC Tennant Creek studio to introduce Deputy Mayor Valda Napurrurla Shannon Warntaparri and to release the new summertime hours and programs.The pool will be free for all under 18 years, the library will offer films and activities throughout the holidays.Valda previously worked with the Mental Health Association of Central Australia (MHACA), where she helped develop Suicide Story, an Elders-led suicide prevention program grounded in local cultural knowledge. She speaks and understands several Aboriginal languages and dialects across Central Australia and the Barkly, and has served as a Warlpiri/Warumungu interpreter with the Northern Territory Aboriginal Interpreter Service. Valda currently represents Patta Ward on Barkly Regional Council.

Alice Springs Mayor Asta Hill spoke with 8CCC's Kate Lyons-Dawson, following this week's town council meeting. Big news includes the announcement of the public library's new site, Sitzler awarded the contract for the CBD Regeneration project and how the new council has been progressing together. Also discussed was the proposed liquor law changes, with submissions open to the public until 18 December. Other items: the council has also renewed the lease on Alice Springs 50 Plus Community Centre with the lease terms including a five-year period with the option for a further five years, at a rent of $1 per year; local artist Chris Scott of Brushcraft has been appointed to create the Geoff Miers Commemorative Roundabout public artwork. This concept stood out for the way it honours Geoff’s legacy while embracing the beauty of the Sturt’s Desert Pea; Council has supported a motion to explore the possibility of re-establishing a Committee of People with Disability.

Last night, Sydney’s Inner West Council narrowly approved the Fairer Future Plan, which promises to build 20,000 to 30,000 new...

The 15th Council of Mparntwe Alice Springs has officiated it's first Council meeting, where the Deputy Mayor Alison Bitar was elected, the Committees were allocated and a new meeting time chosen of 5pm to assist in the community getting involved. Mayor Asta Hill spoke about the meeting on 8CCC Brekky Show, as well as some of the challenges transitioning into the new role.

8CCC Big Brekky's Kate Lyons-Dawson spoke with the NT Electoral Commissioner, Kirsten Kelly, after hearing reports about a record low voter turnout. Robyn Lambley MLA media release cited one of the factors being the closure of the NTEC shopfront, which the Commissioner addresses here, as well as some remote communities having very limited voting windows and what can be achieved to support equal democratic opportunity under the current resourcing in the Northern Territory.

With the final tally done, it was straight into work on Monday for Mparntwe Alice Springs's new Mayor Asta Hill and today she joined Kate Lyons-Dawson on 8CCC Big Brekky to talk through some of the issues and challenges that the job entails. It was a chance to consider what changes and new approaches might be timely, in order to improve the narrative for the city.

Get an update on the Elliott Community Centre from Barkly Regional Council Mayor Sid Vashist.