November 10, 2025 • 11 mins
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now last week we spoke to Clinton Howe, the Member
for Drysdale, about delays to review into alcohol in Palmerston.
Now the Northern Territory Liquor Commission has indeed come under
fire for the delay, after residents of Gray had raised
the issue of drunken disorderly behavior, particularly around Victoria Drive
and Essington Avenue. The Member for Drysdale had formerly approached
(00:22):
the Northern Territory Liquor Commission in May this year, following
a spate of particularly violent bashings. The inquiry was launched
to examine complaints from residents about ongoing anti social behavior
and alcohol issues. Now this delay its frustrated locals and
community leaders who say that the problem has continued to worsen.
(00:44):
The Mayor of Palmerston, Athena Pasco Bell, joins me on
the line. Good morning, Athena, good morning, Thanks so much
for your time. Now, Athena, you and I have spoken
about this before. How has the situation been in that
area though in recent manas look.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
It really hasn't improved. We're still seeing a lot of
anti social behavior of public drinking and of course other
crimes associated with that in that vicinity. It's affecting a
large proportion of the community because of that, as you mentioned,
those two roads are fairly dominant roads. There's schools there,
(01:24):
the community center as well, and so there's a lot
of people that witness what is going on, and at
this stage we just haven't been able to get on
top of it.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
So what do you make of this delay now, and
what do you think it's going to mean when you're
you know, you're take into account all of those issues.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Look, the delay has been really disappointing, especially because we
haven't had any communication from the Liquor Commission until this
last week. So at least, you know, I'm pleased to
report that mister Goldflin has contacted me and will be
meeting with the council. But in the lead up to
(02:03):
Christmas and the new year, it's foreseeable that nothing's going
to happen until sometime next year. And I understand that
there are some changes to membership at the Liquor Commission
as well, so we'll have to wait and see when
the new members come on board and when they can
pick up the workload that's been less behind from the
(02:24):
previous members and the commission.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
Do you think though, that in the meantime there needs
to be some kind of emergency action or is there
something that could be done on urgency do you think
by the liquor Commission in that area to try and
avoid things I guess blowing up over the Christmas break
as well.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Look, there are things that they can do, and definitely
things within their power, such as altering the conditions on
the licensees. Now that might not be a very popular
move as far as the licensees are concerned, but it
might actually make some changes to the life, local conditions
and the health and social aspects of living in those areas. So,
(03:06):
you know, this is something that I think the Council
will definitely raise with the Liquor Commission when we meet
with them about what effective measures can be put in place.
And of course, you know, then whatever decisions they make
could be subject to legal challenge, So we might end
up nowhere, which is really disappointing for the community. But
we can only ask and look into it and maybe
(03:30):
try and implement some measures to see if we can
control what's happening in those areas. Look, in the past,
a lot of people have raised it. They've seen you know,
illegal activity in terms of licensees supplying liquor to people
who are intoxicated, and other concerns such as that, And
(03:51):
as much as we've tried to pursue those with licensing,
they need date and time information so they can go
back and review footage from any of the licensees. So
if there's something I can ask the community, if you
see something illegal happening, like the illegal sale of alcohol
to intoxicated people, or you believe a licensee is breaching
(04:15):
their license conditions, I'm happy to take that information and
I can provide that to licensing anonymously, But we need
a date in time so they can go back and
review footage and determine whether the licensee has actually been
breaching their license.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Yeah right, so, I mean definitely, I would encourage people,
if they've seen something like that happen, to get in
contact with the counsel and take notes of the date
and the time. Athena, you touched on the you know,
the possibility of altering some of those conditions or putting
in some different measures in an ideal world, what would
they look like from your perspective.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
The council does have an alcohol management plan, and one
of those measures is to reduce the trading hours, or
at a very minimum, have them consistent right across the
Palmerston areas, so that all takeaway liquor stores open at
the same time and they all close at the same
time and just have a narrow window for people to
(05:16):
purchase alcohol. We see the police often just overworked trying
to follow up incidents and there's a lot of cases
where they just don't get to and if we can
reduce the number of alcohol related incidents that they have
to respond to, then they'll be able to get back
to their other work more readily. We also have been
(05:39):
asking for a more targeted education plan, particularly for young
adults and youth, so that they don't take up drinking
or understand the risks of heavy drinking. So part of
an education campaign and anything else that we can sort
of raise with the Liquor Commission that's within their power
(06:01):
for altering those conditions. There is a Palmerston liquor record
as well, and so there has been some good discussion
and participation with the people who do turn up and
you know, very fortunately that is some of the major
liquor suppliers in Palmerston, but not everyone's on board. So
(06:22):
if I can encourage those members of the liquor industry
who aren't attending the Liquor Commission the Palmerston Liquor Record meeting,
they really should turn up, and the liquor Record works
by those licensees agreeing to their own set of conditions
without the Liquor Commission coming in over the top of
(06:42):
them and enforcing those.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
Well, Mayor, I'll be keen to find out more as
this situation progresses, particularly, you know, as you do get
that further sort of consultation I suppose from the Liquor Commission,
So keep us up to date with that if you're able.
I know there's plenty of other things being out in
Palmerston at the moment though as well. You've just had
your pre cyclone cleanup. How did it look?
Speaker 2 (07:07):
Look? It went really well. We had over three hundred
and two tons of waste were collected and thirty seven
percent of that was diverted from landfill and will be recycled.
So there were five hundred and fifty e waste items
and five hundred and thirty eight white goods were collected
and recycled. We had seventy nine items donated to HPA
(07:29):
as well, and four hundred and sixty five mattresses were collected,
So you know, I think everyone this year did their
bit to make Palmerston cyclone ready. And if you have
missed the cyclone cleanup, remember that you can use Archo
if you're a Palmerston resident to take your things there
and you can visit our website to find out where
(07:49):
you can get other things recycled as well.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Now, in terms of what's coming up as well over
the next couple of months, I know that out in Palmerston,
you guys have plenty that happens for Christmas. What have
you got planned for this year?
Speaker 2 (08:04):
We have Christmas Wonderland taking over the Parmesan CBD again,
so that will commence on the sixteenth of December and
runs through to the twenty third of December from five
to nine pm daily. And there is also a Low
Sensory Evening which we held on Monday the fifteenth of
December from four point thirty to eight thirty and that's
(08:24):
designed four individuals who benefit from having a reduced sensory
environment includes lower lighting, softer music and smaller crowds. You
need to book for the Low Sensory Night, but all
the nights are Free. We're also part of Wonderland. We'll
(08:45):
be bringing back the popular attractions such as the Express Train,
Chulips Galore, the Starbirs Street Carousel, snow Machines and Santas
Grotto which is great for family pictures, and some new
editions this year Fanta sky Dancers, additional fans and some
(09:05):
upgrades to the Arctic Bluft. There'll also be nightly craft
activities run in the library at ELF's Workshop and a
dedicated a North Pole Post service where you can post
your letters to Santa just in time for Christmas and
in the week of the In the week of the
fifteenth to the nineteenth of December, the library has some
(09:26):
morning craft session, so Christmas Craft's happening from ten am.
And we're also partnering with Mixed one oh four point
nine for the Christmas Light competition, so if you have
a well dressed house for Christmas, make sure you enter
the competition.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
I love Christmas. I mean I think everybody loves Christmas,
but I love Christmas and I reckon Parmas out in Parmeston.
You guys do a phenomenal job of bringing the Christmas spirit.
I like every year we try to come out we
go out for because I'm a townie, but I like
to get out to Armiston and go and have dinner
and then you know, take the kids to the Christmas Wonderland.
(10:05):
It's a fantastic thing to do in such a nice
way to get into the Christmas spirit.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
Yeah, there's definitely a lot of people put on a
huge display and it's such a wonderful lead up to
Christmas to be able to go and just have a
look at those lights and chat to other people in
the neighborhood. So yeah, a really great lead up to Christmas.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
Yeah, it is well. Mayor of Palmerston Athena Pasco Bell
always appreciate your time. Is it raining in Palmerston this morning?
Speaker 2 (10:33):
It is raining, and I'm hoping it might clear out
for Remembrance Stay service and Memorial Park.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
Yeah. You guys have got a bit planned as well
this morning, haven't you.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
Yeah, so it will kick off just for eleven am
in Memorial Park. I understand that they're putting out some gazebos,
but with the amount of rain that will probably pretty
wet out there.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
I agree. Well, look, we're all hoping that it just
calms down for a little while, so that everybody can
get out there and pay their respects for Remembrance Day
Athena Pasco. Bell really appreciate your time. Good to chat
with you this morning.
Now last week we spoke to Clinton Howe, the Member
for Drysdale, about delays to review into alcohol in Palmerston.
Now the Northern Territory Liquor Commission has indeed come under
fire for the delay, after residents of Gray had raised
the issue of drunken disorderly behavior, particularly around Victoria Drive
and Essington Avenue. The Member for Drysdale had formerly approached
(00:22):
the Northern Territory Liquor Commission in May this year, following
a spate of particularly violent bashings. The inquiry was launched
to examine complaints from residents about ongoing anti social behavior
and alcohol issues. Now this delay its frustrated locals and
community leaders who say that the problem has continued to worsen.
(00:44):
The Mayor of Palmerston, Athena Pasco Bell, joins me on
the line. Good morning, Athena, good morning, Thanks so much
for your time. Now, Athena, you and I have spoken
about this before. How has the situation been in that
area though in recent manas look.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
It really hasn't improved. We're still seeing a lot of
anti social behavior of public drinking and of course other
crimes associated with that in that vicinity. It's affecting a
large proportion of the community because of that, as you mentioned,
those two roads are fairly dominant roads. There's schools there,
(01:24):
the community center as well, and so there's a lot
of people that witness what is going on, and at
this stage we just haven't been able to get on
top of it.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
So what do you make of this delay now, and
what do you think it's going to mean when you're
you know, you're take into account all of those issues.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Look, the delay has been really disappointing, especially because we
haven't had any communication from the Liquor Commission until this
last week. So at least, you know, I'm pleased to
report that mister Goldflin has contacted me and will be
meeting with the council. But in the lead up to
(02:03):
Christmas and the new year, it's foreseeable that nothing's going
to happen until sometime next year. And I understand that
there are some changes to membership at the Liquor Commission
as well, so we'll have to wait and see when
the new members come on board and when they can
pick up the workload that's been less behind from the
(02:24):
previous members and the commission.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
Do you think though, that in the meantime there needs
to be some kind of emergency action or is there
something that could be done on urgency do you think
by the liquor Commission in that area to try and
avoid things I guess blowing up over the Christmas break
as well.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Look, there are things that they can do, and definitely
things within their power, such as altering the conditions on
the licensees. Now that might not be a very popular
move as far as the licensees are concerned, but it
might actually make some changes to the life, local conditions
and the health and social aspects of living in those areas. So,
(03:06):
you know, this is something that I think the Council
will definitely raise with the Liquor Commission when we meet
with them about what effective measures can be put in place.
And of course, you know, then whatever decisions they make
could be subject to legal challenge, So we might end
up nowhere, which is really disappointing for the community. But
we can only ask and look into it and maybe
(03:30):
try and implement some measures to see if we can
control what's happening in those areas. Look, in the past,
a lot of people have raised it. They've seen you know,
illegal activity in terms of licensees supplying liquor to people
who are intoxicated, and other concerns such as that, And
(03:51):
as much as we've tried to pursue those with licensing,
they need date and time information so they can go
back and review footage from any of the licensees. So
if there's something I can ask the community, if you
see something illegal happening, like the illegal sale of alcohol
to intoxicated people, or you believe a licensee is breaching
(04:15):
their license conditions, I'm happy to take that information and
I can provide that to licensing anonymously, But we need
a date in time so they can go back and
review footage and determine whether the licensee has actually been
breaching their license.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Yeah right, so, I mean definitely, I would encourage people,
if they've seen something like that happen, to get in
contact with the counsel and take notes of the date
and the time. Athena, you touched on the you know,
the possibility of altering some of those conditions or putting
in some different measures in an ideal world, what would
they look like from your perspective.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
The council does have an alcohol management plan, and one
of those measures is to reduce the trading hours, or
at a very minimum, have them consistent right across the
Palmerston areas, so that all takeaway liquor stores open at
the same time and they all close at the same
time and just have a narrow window for people to
(05:16):
purchase alcohol. We see the police often just overworked trying
to follow up incidents and there's a lot of cases
where they just don't get to and if we can
reduce the number of alcohol related incidents that they have
to respond to, then they'll be able to get back
to their other work more readily. We also have been
(05:39):
asking for a more targeted education plan, particularly for young
adults and youth, so that they don't take up drinking
or understand the risks of heavy drinking. So part of
an education campaign and anything else that we can sort
of raise with the Liquor Commission that's within their power
(06:01):
for altering those conditions. There is a Palmerston liquor record
as well, and so there has been some good discussion
and participation with the people who do turn up and
you know, very fortunately that is some of the major
liquor suppliers in Palmerston, but not everyone's on board. So
(06:22):
if I can encourage those members of the liquor industry
who aren't attending the Liquor Commission the Palmerston Liquor Record meeting,
they really should turn up, and the liquor Record works
by those licensees agreeing to their own set of conditions
without the Liquor Commission coming in over the top of
(06:42):
them and enforcing those.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
Well, Mayor, I'll be keen to find out more as
this situation progresses, particularly, you know, as you do get
that further sort of consultation I suppose from the Liquor Commission,
So keep us up to date with that if you're able.
I know there's plenty of other things being out in
Palmerston at the moment though as well. You've just had
your pre cyclone cleanup. How did it look?
Speaker 2 (07:07):
Look? It went really well. We had over three hundred
and two tons of waste were collected and thirty seven
percent of that was diverted from landfill and will be recycled.
So there were five hundred and fifty e waste items
and five hundred and thirty eight white goods were collected
and recycled. We had seventy nine items donated to HPA
(07:29):
as well, and four hundred and sixty five mattresses were collected,
So you know, I think everyone this year did their
bit to make Palmerston cyclone ready. And if you have
missed the cyclone cleanup, remember that you can use Archo
if you're a Palmerston resident to take your things there
and you can visit our website to find out where
(07:49):
you can get other things recycled as well.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Now, in terms of what's coming up as well over
the next couple of months, I know that out in Palmerston,
you guys have plenty that happens for Christmas. What have
you got planned for this year?
Speaker 2 (08:04):
We have Christmas Wonderland taking over the Parmesan CBD again,
so that will commence on the sixteenth of December and
runs through to the twenty third of December from five
to nine pm daily. And there is also a Low
Sensory Evening which we held on Monday the fifteenth of
December from four point thirty to eight thirty and that's
(08:24):
designed four individuals who benefit from having a reduced sensory
environment includes lower lighting, softer music and smaller crowds. You
need to book for the Low Sensory Night, but all
the nights are Free. We're also part of Wonderland. We'll
(08:45):
be bringing back the popular attractions such as the Express Train,
Chulips Galore, the Starbirs Street Carousel, snow Machines and Santas
Grotto which is great for family pictures, and some new
editions this year Fanta sky Dancers, additional fans and some
(09:05):
upgrades to the Arctic Bluft. There'll also be nightly craft
activities run in the library at ELF's Workshop and a
dedicated a North Pole Post service where you can post
your letters to Santa just in time for Christmas and
in the week of the In the week of the
fifteenth to the nineteenth of December, the library has some
(09:26):
morning craft session, so Christmas Craft's happening from ten am.
And we're also partnering with Mixed one oh four point
nine for the Christmas Light competition, so if you have
a well dressed house for Christmas, make sure you enter
the competition.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
I love Christmas. I mean I think everybody loves Christmas,
but I love Christmas and I reckon Parmas out in Parmeston.
You guys do a phenomenal job of bringing the Christmas spirit.
I like every year we try to come out we
go out for because I'm a townie, but I like
to get out to Armiston and go and have dinner
and then you know, take the kids to the Christmas Wonderland.
(10:05):
It's a fantastic thing to do in such a nice
way to get into the Christmas spirit.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
Yeah, there's definitely a lot of people put on a
huge display and it's such a wonderful lead up to
Christmas to be able to go and just have a
look at those lights and chat to other people in
the neighborhood. So yeah, a really great lead up to Christmas.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
Yeah, it is well. Mayor of Palmerston Athena Pasco Bell
always appreciate your time. Is it raining in Palmerston this morning?
Speaker 2 (10:33):
It is raining, and I'm hoping it might clear out
for Remembrance Stay service and Memorial Park.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
Yeah. You guys have got a bit planned as well
this morning, haven't you.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
Yeah, so it will kick off just for eleven am
in Memorial Park. I understand that they're putting out some gazebos,
but with the amount of rain that will probably pretty
wet out there.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
I agree. Well, look, we're all hoping that it just
calms down for a little while, so that everybody can
get out there and pay their respects for Remembrance Day
Athena Pasco. Bell really appreciate your time. Good to chat
with you this morning.
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