LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Sir – The final Consultation Report states that Aboriginal stakeholders have been consulted and the relevant key cultural authorities have given their support for the Anzac Hill precinct.
The Rugby codes are cooperating in alternative planning arrangements.
Totem Theatre and the Alice Springs 50 plus Community Centre have clearly indicated specific reasons for their sites being well-protected.
The Alice Springs Youth Centre is generally supportive of the project and of the site and has similar requirements to Totem and the 50 plus organisations.
St. Joseph’s is moving to alternative accommodation.
If these are the facts, it follows that the Alice Springs Town Council has no effective claim to justify obstructing the proposed development on the property.
Therefore, if the Government really wants to build the National Aboriginal Art Gallery on the site, it should resume the area and get on with building the beneficial attraction that most people believe it will be.
Kevin Diflo
Alice Springs
Thursday, April 25, 2024
The freedom of the press still furnishes that check upon government which no constitution has ever been able to provide – Chicago Tribune.
Kevin establishes a very solid case. I really think we need to move on or lose the potential for a major development project in Alice Springs that if developed properly has the potential to become a truly national and international asset.
Go for it Kevin and continue to urge the community to move on lest we lose the potential for literally hundreds of millions of dollars being invested into this community.
We will only get one chance and the government I’m sure is slowly losing patience. Preserve open space at the northern end of the Mall, create a national gallery that can link to the CBD and allow for the development and preservation of Aboriginal culture here in the heart of Central Australia along with developing 21st century facilitates for rugby that have been long sought after.
Alice Springs has stagnated for some time now and anti-social problems are continuing to impact on the welfare of the local community and the image of this town locally, nationally and internationally.
My comments may well upset some people however this town has stagnated for a long time and the changing dynamics are seriously impacting on this town with the consequence that many are not now wanting to come to Alice and many are leaving. We can’t ignore this fact … let’s wake up.
“If developed properly.” Jeff, that’s the thing this has not been developed properly.
There has been no respect for locals. The government chose the site before any of us knew about the plans and has been trying to bully us ever since.
People travelling from OS or interstate are not going to travel all that way and only go to the gallery.
They will visit other attractions and the town centre wherever the gallery is.
Custodians have been developed, ignored, avoided or hand selected.
Two surveys including the governments own have shown a majority for the gallery but against the Anzac site.
There has been no rational reasoning put forward as to why Anzac is the only possible place.
They have no business case, they have no money no idea and not a lot of support.