Last week the Royal Life Saving released statistics on child drownings throughout Australia and the NT in particular. One child drowning is too many and sadly there have been way more than that. In fact, we in the NT have the highest rate per capita. As an advocate for rural children and the rural residents generally I call on the NT Government to take note of this issue and to provide facilities where our children can learn to swim. It’s not the only solution but it’s a much-needed start.
On a lighter note, council is offering free microchipping for November for your pooches. Microchipping is a condition of registration which is free of charge for the first year, if completed before 15 December. Another Council free-bee this month is the waiving of charges for green waste at the Waste Transfer Station. Take advantage of this offer and clean up your block before the cyclone season.
Nominations for the Australia Day ‘Local Litchfield Legends’ Awards are open. Nomination information can be found on the Council website under the ‘News’ section.
At a recent NT Local Government Association (LGANT) meeting I was nominated and elected to the executive committee. This is just one more way that the Litchfield Council can advocate on your behalf to the NT and Australian Government. As an example, a motion proposed by Litchfield at the meeting called for LGANT to recognise the inequity of the current Black Spot Road funding model and lobby the Federal Government to have the model reviewed to include a needs based allocation thus providing increased funds for areas like Litchfield.
Lastly the Litchfield Council Annual Report was passed at a Special Meeting last Wednesday. This document is a requirement of the Local Government Act and it contains detailed information of Council income and expenditure, highlights our achievements, community engagements and community survey results. It is important to note that the council is in a sound financial position and has reserves earmarked for future infrastructure works. It is a worthwhile read and it can be found on the website.
Contact me or call me ph. 0437517709. Use the SNAP SEND SOLVE app to report issues.