Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let's get into discussing what our candidates stand for and
who is running when it comes to the mayor position
here in Darwin. Now, we are doing this across the board,
were trying our best to catch up with as many
of the candidates as possible and well, heading to Darwin
today and we are kicking things off with the current mayor,
(00:21):
Convat Scalas, who joins me on the line. Good morning
to you, Con, Good morning Katie. Now, Con, we've got
a few questions to get through and you've got six minutes.
Are you ready to get started? Fire up? All right?
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Con?
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Why have you decided to put your hand up and
run for mayor again?
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Well, I don't like leaving a job have done. I
need to finish it and there are quite a lot
of things that have to be done in Darwin and
I want to continue to deliver for the community. To
think we already started. We're doing a review of the
saved parkings at the time. I wanted to finish and
there are a number of projects that have been done
before and I want to deliver the community more infrastructure
(01:01):
that it gives you. An example, the cas Airina Childia
Center is in urgent need of attention. It needs to
be upgraded. Korama does not have a child heare, et cetera.
That needs to be upgraded. We have to install lights
in playgrounds for public safety. We want to actually organize
to have more lights in ovals, built change rooms and toilets,
especially now that boys and girls playing sports and more
(01:25):
girls actually playing sports more than before. As there are
need for families to be looked after. I want to
continue the Christmas patient which is very popular. I want
to have a family days out that cost nothing for
families take their kids and entertain them. And certainly what
I would like to do which actually in the past
few days become a burning issue, I would like to
(01:47):
offer the council land, if possible, to the territory government
and federal government to establish a nursing home. So peoples
tend to be locked in a hospital in Palmerston occupying
one hundred beds that we need desperately in the health sector,
we can provide a facility in Darwin right well.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
Con we might get a little bit more to that
in a moment. But in terms of qualifications and work experience,
what qualifications and work experience do you have which you
think make you best placed for the position of may Well.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Katie. You have to remember that we went through cyclone.
Marcus and I led the council to the recovery stage
and a year two years later we got the pandemic,
the COVID nineteen pandemic, and once again with mildly to see,
the council came trumps up. We help the communities, we
helped the businesses within my Darwin vouchers. I have managed
(02:38):
to lead a council of thirteen individuals with their own
agendas and their own personalities, and we didn't have any problems.
We actually come up really working together, even with our differences.
Other councils to the territory had administration put on them.
Our council has done really good job. It's financially sound
and it's putting every year about sixty million dollars to
(02:58):
the local economy. Despite the difference of opinions of thirteen individuals,
we have managed to deliver very much for our local community.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
Con what do you see as the most important issues
in Darwin in the Darwin municipality, look.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
I hear a lot of card dates that they've got
ideas about things like juvenile detention, juvenile training and public safety.
We have to remember that the local government in the
territory is very strictly controlled by the Local Government Act,
and not many people seem to have read that one
because the Act prescribed exactly what the council can and
(03:34):
can do. I can't organize the police, I can't have
detention centers. I can't build housefold before homeless people because
I have neither the power, not the resources or the expertise.
But I'm very happy to work with the government in
this stage is to actually make it a reality. What
the community needs in the community needs ability, and the
(03:55):
community needs to be provided with infrastructure to deserve, for example,
fixing the back paths, fixing the stone water drains, fixing
the roads, having the libraries open, providing events for juvenile
young people, young families and senior territories as well. There
are things we can do and things we can't do.
If I can't do it, I stand up and say sorry, guys,
(04:17):
I can't do that one. It's beyond that capacity. But
the things I can do it I will do it.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
Cotton, we've got just over two minutes saved. What are
your top three commitments to voters? I mean you mentioned
one before about potential land. What are your top three commitments.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
My top commedan is to continue grinning Dowin. We need trees,
we need more trees. We planted seventy thousand and gave
away seventy thousand trees in the past few years. I
want to continue that one. If you look the changes
in now in the past few years, you realize what
the difference some trees make. Have a look at daily Street,
Goida Road, Bradshaw Terrors the Annula green Belt. The other
(04:53):
one is I would like to upgrade the Casuna childcare center.
That's a priority for me and new childcare. And in Carama,
I like to upgrade the facilities in the night give pool.
We deliver a twenty seven million dollars cas arena. A
quotic center. Poor nightlift needs attention. And I'm not talking
about the pool itself. I'm talking about the kiosk, the
change room and the toilets and important as I said
(05:14):
to you before, and I'm very strong of that. One
is a nursing home facility for Darwin.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Now, corn are you a member of a political party
or have you other ever been? I know some people
will know the answer.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
To that, I think everybody knows the answer to that.
I was a political party, I was a minister in
the Label government. But I made a promise in twenty
seventeen when I was the first elected as a mayor,
I will not be a member of the party, and
since twenty seventeen I have been a member of any party.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
Corn Are you going to be preferencing people or are
there preferences? What are your preferences for I.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Would prefer I would preference people that I think they
can do the job, and I will not preference people
that I think they're actually out there for just for
the sake of it. And I say that because none
of the candidates are apart from the current elected members,
has attended in the past four years a council meeting,
and when we had an open day to provide advice
to candidates, only four temed up. So there are people
(06:08):
out there that decided to stay to put her hand
up for mayor. But I question they are why they
want to do that one if they've got any other
ideas to promote themselves now to go to a bigger
and better job in the territorial federal parliament. But I
would preference people that deserve to be preferenced.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
So who do you think who are the top of
your list?
Speaker 2 (06:29):
Well, it's a very mix. But I'll tell you what.
There are some people that go to the bottom of
the list, and there's some people go in the middle
of the list, and some other people that will go
in the top of the list. Some of the current
elected members that I know there are somewhere in the
middle of the list. You have to remember, preferences very
political too.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
Corn. That is all we've got time for. Thank you
very much for your six minutes and letting us know
why you should continue on as may my pleasure. Thank
you
Let's get into discussing what our candidates stand for and
who is running when it comes to the mayor position
here in Darwin. Now, we are doing this across the board,
were trying our best to catch up with as many
of the candidates as possible and well, heading to Darwin
today and we are kicking things off with the current mayor,
(00:21):
Convat Scalas, who joins me on the line. Good morning
to you, Con, Good morning Katie. Now, Con, we've got
a few questions to get through and you've got six minutes.
Are you ready to get started? Fire up? All right?
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Con?
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Why have you decided to put your hand up and
run for mayor again?
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Well, I don't like leaving a job have done. I
need to finish it and there are quite a lot
of things that have to be done in Darwin and
I want to continue to deliver for the community. To
think we already started. We're doing a review of the
saved parkings at the time. I wanted to finish and
there are a number of projects that have been done
before and I want to deliver the community more infrastructure
(01:01):
that it gives you. An example, the cas Airina Childia
Center is in urgent need of attention. It needs to
be upgraded. Korama does not have a child heare, et cetera.
That needs to be upgraded. We have to install lights
in playgrounds for public safety. We want to actually organize
to have more lights in ovals, built change rooms and toilets,
especially now that boys and girls playing sports and more
(01:25):
girls actually playing sports more than before. As there are
need for families to be looked after. I want to
continue the Christmas patient which is very popular. I want
to have a family days out that cost nothing for
families take their kids and entertain them. And certainly what
I would like to do which actually in the past
few days become a burning issue, I would like to
(01:47):
offer the council land, if possible, to the territory government
and federal government to establish a nursing home. So peoples
tend to be locked in a hospital in Palmerston occupying
one hundred beds that we need desperately in the health sector,
we can provide a facility in Darwin right well.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
Con we might get a little bit more to that
in a moment. But in terms of qualifications and work experience,
what qualifications and work experience do you have which you
think make you best placed for the position of may Well.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Katie. You have to remember that we went through cyclone.
Marcus and I led the council to the recovery stage
and a year two years later we got the pandemic,
the COVID nineteen pandemic, and once again with mildly to see,
the council came trumps up. We help the communities, we
helped the businesses within my Darwin vouchers. I have managed
(02:38):
to lead a council of thirteen individuals with their own
agendas and their own personalities, and we didn't have any problems.
We actually come up really working together, even with our differences.
Other councils to the territory had administration put on them.
Our council has done really good job. It's financially sound
and it's putting every year about sixty million dollars to
(02:58):
the local economy. Despite the difference of opinions of thirteen individuals,
we have managed to deliver very much for our local community.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
Con what do you see as the most important issues
in Darwin in the Darwin municipality, look.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
I hear a lot of card dates that they've got
ideas about things like juvenile detention, juvenile training and public safety.
We have to remember that the local government in the
territory is very strictly controlled by the Local Government Act,
and not many people seem to have read that one
because the Act prescribed exactly what the council can and
(03:34):
can do. I can't organize the police, I can't have
detention centers. I can't build housefold before homeless people because
I have neither the power, not the resources or the expertise.
But I'm very happy to work with the government in
this stage is to actually make it a reality. What
the community needs in the community needs ability, and the
(03:55):
community needs to be provided with infrastructure to deserve, for example,
fixing the back paths, fixing the stone water drains, fixing
the roads, having the libraries open, providing events for juvenile
young people, young families and senior territories as well. There
are things we can do and things we can't do.
If I can't do it, I stand up and say sorry, guys,
(04:17):
I can't do that one. It's beyond that capacity. But
the things I can do it I will do it.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
Cotton, we've got just over two minutes saved. What are
your top three commitments to voters? I mean you mentioned
one before about potential land. What are your top three commitments.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
My top commedan is to continue grinning Dowin. We need trees,
we need more trees. We planted seventy thousand and gave
away seventy thousand trees in the past few years. I
want to continue that one. If you look the changes
in now in the past few years, you realize what
the difference some trees make. Have a look at daily Street,
Goida Road, Bradshaw Terrors the Annula green Belt. The other
(04:53):
one is I would like to upgrade the Casuna childcare center.
That's a priority for me and new childcare. And in Carama,
I like to upgrade the facilities in the night give pool.
We deliver a twenty seven million dollars cas arena. A
quotic center. Poor nightlift needs attention. And I'm not talking
about the pool itself. I'm talking about the kiosk, the
change room and the toilets and important as I said
(05:14):
to you before, and I'm very strong of that. One
is a nursing home facility for Darwin.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Now, corn are you a member of a political party
or have you other ever been? I know some people
will know the answer.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
To that, I think everybody knows the answer to that.
I was a political party, I was a minister in
the Label government. But I made a promise in twenty
seventeen when I was the first elected as a mayor,
I will not be a member of the party, and
since twenty seventeen I have been a member of any party.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
Corn Are you going to be preferencing people or are
there preferences? What are your preferences for I.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Would prefer I would preference people that I think they
can do the job, and I will not preference people
that I think they're actually out there for just for
the sake of it. And I say that because none
of the candidates are apart from the current elected members,
has attended in the past four years a council meeting,
and when we had an open day to provide advice
to candidates, only four temed up. So there are people
(06:08):
out there that decided to stay to put her hand
up for mayor. But I question they are why they
want to do that one if they've got any other
ideas to promote themselves now to go to a bigger
and better job in the territorial federal parliament. But I
would preference people that deserve to be preferenced.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
So who do you think who are the top of
your list?
Speaker 2 (06:29):
Well, it's a very mix. But I'll tell you what.
There are some people that go to the bottom of
the list, and there's some people go in the middle
of the list, and some other people that will go
in the top of the list. Some of the current
elected members that I know there are somewhere in the
middle of the list. You have to remember, preferences very
political too.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
Corn. That is all we've got time for. Thank you
very much for your six minutes and letting us know
why you should continue on as may my pleasure. Thank
you
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