Mayor Vashist urges NT Families Minister Cahill to meet on Barkly social issues

Barkly Mayor Sid Vashist has urged NT Minister for Territory Families Robyn Cahill to meet with him to discuss greater long-term support for social services for families in the Barkly region, after leading a community roundtable last week with Federal Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth.

Minister Rishworth and Federal Member for Barkly Marion Scrymgour met with Mayor Vashist and several Barkly region social services leaders last week to discuss support services and funding for families dealing with domestic violence, aged care residents, and those facing insecure housing.

The meeting comes as Mayor Vashist and Council chief executive officer Chris Kelly are planning a trip to Canberra in February, to discuss social and community services and the need for further investment in infrastructure in the Barkly with federal ministers, Opposition frontbenchers and crossbenchers.

It follows significant funding injections in recent years by both the federal and Territory governments in community services, public safety and related infrastructure in both Alice Springs and Darwin.

But Mayor Vashist said Barkly Regional Council – which oversees the second-largest geographical local government area in the country – seemed to have missed out on most of the Territory Government funding.

In December, the NT Government announced a new, six-month trial of a “Circuit Breaker” program in Alice Springs, aiming to support young people at risk and hold parents accountable for their child’s behaviour.

The same month, the Territory government announced $850,000 to provide more support services and improve public safety at the Litchfield Court public units in Darwin.

In recent weeks, Council has dealt with a series of break-ins at its public facilities including the Tennant Creek library, town pool and youth centre – despite continuing to provide those services for all residents throughout the school holidays.

Mr Vashist said while he had had some positive discussions with Territory Member for Barkly Steve Edgington, who also controls the NT portfolios of Alcohol Policy, Housing and Local Government, he was still seeking a formal meeting with NT Minister for Children and Families Robyn Cahill.

He said it was time to put the Barkly back on the agenda for serious, long-term support, not just election announcements or temporary support offered in the wake of natural disasters, which have devastated the region in two of the past three summers.

Mayor Vashist also said he was keen to see the outcomes of the six-month ‘Circuit Breaker’ trial in Alice Springs in July, and whether it may lead to future improvements for the Barkly region.