LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Sir – The money owed by Arrulka Business Aboriginal Corporation (ABAC) to its remaining creditors is indeed a commercial matter between ABAC and its creditors, which has been and will continue to be addressed by ABAC.
That process is not assisted by ill informed comments in the Alice Springs News by your various unidentified anti-ABAC or anti-Neville Perkins commentators. It is a matter that must be resolved between ABAC and its creditors, as soon as this is possible.
ABAC does not owe any money to Rachel Perkins, who is not an ABAC creditor. She was contracted through her company, Blackfella Films, by a separate events management company, not ABAC. She has indeed been involved in legal action between her company and a separate events management company to do with serious breaches of her contract as a co-director of the Mbantua Festival.
ABAC simply does not have 42 substantially Indigenous creditors, as reported in your article. Most of the Aboriginal creditors to do with the Mbantua Festival of October last year, including Aboriginal dancers and performers, have already been paid by ABAC.
We are not aware of any letter from Mr McGuinness to ABAC that Mr McGuinness has alleged was returned to him unopened.
ABAC and its officeholders have never intentionally or deliberately acted in breach of the Corporations Act.
Whilst it is appreciated that you have printed in full the contents of our ABAC letter on 16 September, to your credit, ABAC is awaiting an appropriate apology from you to be published online in the Alice Springs News.
Neville Perkins, OAM
Director
Arrulka Business Aboriginal Corporation
[ED – The Alice Springs News Online has quoted accurately the sources in the article to which Mr Perkins apparently refers.]
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
The freedom of the press still furnishes that check upon government which no constitution has ever been able to provide – Chicago Tribune.
Humph!! I will be “pro” Mr. Perkins and others and not “anti” when I see the poor stiffs including service organisations receive payment. I don’t care if the money comes from ABAC, Black Fella Films, or the unnamed “separate events company” – just pay up.
And could someone do something about the DVDs promised to the kids who took part?
Peter Hoey I would like to successfully say the Central Australian Stolen Generations and Families Aboriginal Corporation (CASGFAC) which has an MOU with ABAC about the production “Bungalow Song” from the Mbantua Festival has just received the raw footage of the production from Neville Perkins.
We will be in the near future employing someone to edit and produce the “Bungalow Song” onto DVD so that the many children who acted in this production receive a copy as well as the families that were portrayed.
CASGFAC feels that this production was a good record of events that happened in Central Australia. The children who played the parts acted at an exceptionally high level, considering that many of them have never been in a production before.
We commend their skill and raw talent in making this production the success it was.
@ Jackie Baxter: Will this DVD be available for the public to buy? It was a great show, regardless of all the backlash of monies owed. CAAMA Productions may be able to edit it.
Kelly: At this stage we have only just received the raw footage. I’m sure in the future anyone would be able to buy a copy. It was a fantastic event.