Alice Springs Mayor Matt Paterson says Council has moved to stop footy finals being played on its grounds after an influx of visitors, illegal camping and crime, stemming from a finals clash last weekend

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now, the Alice Springs Town Council has moved to put
a stop to footy finals from being held on the
grounds due to a spate of crime which they believe
could be linked to those games. Now, the council moved
the motion on Tuesday that would see the grounds no
longer available to AFL NT for those finals games, which
typically attracted larger crowds, but crowds from other communities, is

(00:23):
my understanding. Now joining me is the local mayor, Matt Patterson.

Speaker 2 (00:27):
Good morning to you, Matte morning Katie.

Speaker 3 (00:30):
Thanks for having me.

Speaker 1 (00:31):
Yeah, good to have you. Now I understand we'll talk
us through this motion first.

Speaker 3 (00:37):
Yes, I mean it's a pretty long wind that has
been going on for a few years.

Speaker 2 (00:40):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (00:41):
You know, two years ago we stopped football community football
all together and then worked with al N and AFL
to come up with a better outcome FRULL parties. And
so where we landed with that was a week in town,
a week in remote communities. So I have to remember
remote communities, we're traveling eight hundred climeter around trips to
come and play in our springs and then drive back
to their community often stay for a period of time.

(01:04):
So the outcome was a week in our springs a
week out Bush. Now throughout the year, I would say
that that it's been quite successful, and I acknowledge that
it's been quite successful. We didn't have back to back
weeks now with the finals. We had the semi finals
two weeks ago in Alice Springs and then just the
weekend gone we had the final in Alp Springs as well.

(01:28):
We sent an influx of visitors, we sent an influx
of illegal camping we've seen and in increased of a
spate of crime over the weekend, which was a horrendous weekend. Now,
I appreciate that the logistical challenges that it faces for
the afl NT. However, as counsel, we are trying to
limit the impacts that happened to Alice Springs through a

(01:50):
lack of planning, so this doesn't happen again. Now, it
will have no impact on the rest of this season.
It's going to impact next season and this season after that.

Speaker 1 (02:00):
Right, So any games so are there's still a few
outstanding games to happen for this season and they are
still going to happen.

Speaker 3 (02:06):
So the community competition had finished and there was the
Grand Final on Saturday, and that's where we've seen a
few thousand people come in from remote community and we've
seen another weekend of crime. Now I can compare it
to the show when we've seen a few thousand people
come in from remote communities. You didn't saying we don't
want people to come in from remote communities. We're just

(02:27):
trying to limit the impact. Now on the show weekend,
we've seen that a few thousand come in and we've
seen that lead to more crime, and then we've seen
a curfew implemented. So you know, Okadi, if it walks
and talks like a duck, it's a duck. And we're
just as I said, we're trying to work with AFL
and tews it less dot com for all parties.

Speaker 1 (02:46):
And so what's sort of been in terms of that motion,
you know, being moved what came through yesterday. So it
is now a situation where you have to be you've
got to have some meetings with AFL and T because
it's clearly not working moving forward in terms of those
games happening. I know the season's over now for community footy,
but there has to be some kind of agreement moving forwards.

Speaker 3 (03:10):
Yeah, and we we have lots of meetings of AFL
and T. They're an important stakeholder in ourur springs and
you know I've reached out to the CEO and you
know we'll meet later this week hopefully. You know, it's
just about managing the expectations of community as well and
appreciate we didn't want back to backgrounds. We've said that

(03:33):
from the very start, and unfortunately we've had the semi
final and final back to back weeks, so you know,
the decision has been made from council. We'll work with
AFL and T to deliver that outcome. Last year we
were having these discussions as the season was starting and
so it was moving very rapidly. This point is we've
got twelve months to get to get to a suitable outcome,

(03:56):
so you know there's enough advanced warning for all parties
involved to come up with a certain outcome.

Speaker 1 (04:00):
Yeah, what's been the reaction so far from AFL n T.
I mean, have you had much of a chat to
them since since the council meeting?

Speaker 3 (04:09):
No, not since yesterday. It was a very quick It's
obviously a big day from us. Yesterday it's our monthly meeting. Look,
as I said, I text the CEO and said, probably
need to have a chat, and you know, he come
back and said absolutely. So you know, we'll organize that
during the week and hopefully reach out. And you know,
as I said, it's not I got your moment. This

(04:30):
conversation has been happening for a few years.

Speaker 1 (04:32):
Yeah, hey, MAT's obviously change of government over the weekend.
What was your reaction as those results started to flow through?

Speaker 3 (04:43):
Not necessarily surprised, you know, I thought there was a
change coming. I think the Greens polled extremely well, which
wasn't a surprise either. You look down here in Brakling
there was a massive swing to the Greens. I think
it's the biggest swing to a Greens candidate ever in Australia.
I think that, you know, that's that's got to mean
something for our springs. But not surprised. We'll just wait

(05:06):
and see, you know. I congratulate the new Chief Minister
and look forward to working with her in her government
and hopefully we can deliver some outcomes for our springs.
And I'll just take the time to say thank you
to former Chief Evil Lawler and her predecessors and thank
the government for working with the town Council Ola Springs

(05:26):
as well.

Speaker 1 (05:27):
Now I know that Chief Minister elect to Lifanokiaro had
told me on Monday that the first Parliament sittings aren't
expected to be until mid till late October. Are you
worried about Alice Springs with summer fast approaching when crime
does typically increase in the town.

Speaker 3 (05:43):
Yeah, absolutely. You know, I would assume that all their
legislation will be drafted. But you know, it does make
a challenging when you got October November and then you
know we sort of peak from that November to January period,
So what sort of changes can you make in that
short amount of time. And you know, you know, we'll

(06:06):
wait and see. But you know, if you run on
a platform and people vote for you for that platform,
then they expect that change to happen. And the community,
I can say to us, and I com mendicated, the
community is not very forgiving if they're voted for your
reason and that that reason is not implemented straight away

(06:26):
when you know we're talking about pretty emotional things of
breaking enters.

Speaker 1 (06:30):
And yeah, crime, well even on the weekend, you know,
by the sounds of it, we're all sort of covering
the election and all the while it sounds like there
was there was car thefts, there was breaking entries that
Alice Springs was dealing with at that same time.

Speaker 3 (06:46):
Yeah, and you know, we've said this many times. You've
become desensitized to a lot of it. But when you
see Congress getting smashed windows, you know, they're buses that
transport the most vulnerab are Indigenous people to their health
appointments that now they can no longer do that because
they've got no windows left in their buses. You know,

(07:07):
you've just got to sit back and just you know,
so this isn't actually normal.

Speaker 2 (07:12):
This is you know, was that on the weekend, Matt.

Speaker 3 (07:16):
Yeah, it was on Saturday night. Yeah, I think there
was every window the Congress facility and pre Street was smashed.
There was a lot of car windows that were smashed,
and you know, these, as I said, these cars transport
the most vulnerable people. It's incredibly disappointing and it's another
frustrating weekend.

Speaker 4 (07:32):
I mean to put it mildly, right, Yeah, that this
was the weekend of the community football and people are saying, well,
you can't connect it, but as I've said, we've had
another influx and we just need to manage all.

Speaker 3 (07:46):
Of these scenarios and avoid bottlenecks in our springs.

Speaker 1 (07:51):
Yeah, it looks it sounds really tough to me, And
like you said, we've become desensitized to some degree, I think,
and I can't imagine what it's like for you guys there.

Speaker 2 (07:59):
But but the new government.

Speaker 1 (08:01):
Has been elected on a mandate to get this crime
under control.

Speaker 2 (08:06):
It's not going to be easy for them to do.

Speaker 1 (08:07):
And I think that they've got a little bit of
you know, like they've got a bit of grace and
goodwill from the community in terms of, you know, understanding
that they'll need a little bit of time to find
their feet. But I don't think there's going to be
a huge amount of time. I think people are going
to have fairly high expectations.

Speaker 3 (08:27):
Yeah, and I one hundred percent agree with you. But
as I've said, they've run and won, and I wish
them all the best, and hopefully, you know, things need
to change. I think that's first and foremost things need
to change, and hopefully you know, they change, and the
communities put their trust in the CLP to change the
territory's vision. And so I do wish them all the best,

(08:49):
because my fingers and toes across that things change in
our springs, because they certainly need to and needs to
be pretty quick before these people who were talking about
leaving before they leave because of the things that are happening.
And so you know, yep, it is what it is.
But we'll get there.

Speaker 1 (09:06):
We've got to get cracking, got to get cracking well,
Matt Patterson, the Mayor of Vella Springs.

Speaker 2 (09:11):
Always good to catch up with your mate. Thanks so
much for your time this morning, anytime. Thanks Katie, Thank you,