Some great(orex) support received over the past week from former colleagues (and another $100 donation to the campaign fund). One person commented that she supports me because of the integrity with which I’m pursuing this goal. Integrity was one of the features that polled significantly on the previous web poll so it’s good to see that people are recognising that I’m ‘on the page’.

A focus on social as well as economic ‘wealth’ whereby people are encouraged to add to the ‘whole-of-community’ wealth rather than debt (welfare dependency in all of it’s social and economic forms) is proving to be a useful momentum. That will build significantly over the next several weeks. People are liking the inclusive platforms I’m presenting and promoting.

Social network sites like facebook and twitter are proving to be a useful vehicle for disseminating my platforms. Please feel free to add comments here or on those sites. It’s better here, because I get to keep the comments and suggestions all together.

As for now…it’s nose to the wheel and shoulder to the grindstone!!!

Sir,

I believe the Police Commissioner’s attempts to encourage a ‘whole-of-community’ response to the issues around town and the region are a commendable step in the right direction. Government (at all tiers) and non-government agencies partnering with the local community involving lobby groups, business owners/opeartors and political leaders to address these issues is a long overdue strategy. If we accept the premise that it takes ‘a whole village to raise a child’, then it takes a whole community to raise our town and region.

As an observer in the gallery of Parliament during the Budget sittings two weeks ago, I witnessed the reactions to the Chief Minister’s announcement on the final day. The rabble reactions that ensued were predictable but not useful or helpful. This issue is beyond marginalised party politics…it’s about the positive health & well-being of all members of this great community. We each have a part to play in this ever-evolving scenario…we all have the opportunity to win individually and collectively.

As part of the solutions, every Aboriginal agency, organisation and corporation must be proactively involved and included so that truely representative partnerships are achieved under this initiative. Considered, action-based strategic alliances will work well towards building more harmonious, action-based outcomes. This initiative invites all of us to think about our own behaviour and it’s ramifications. Good choices generally lead to good outcomes. A focus on positive language like hope, faith, commitment & achievement helps. Be a survivor…not a victim. Share the wealth…not the debt.

Whilst there are some in the community who are so intergenerationally traumatised that their cognitive capacity is developmentally compromised, the vast majority of people can make clear, coherant & positive decisions. The ‘dependency mentality’ developed over the past half century must end. Time to change the ‘rules’…

Phil Walcott
Alice Springs.

Thanks for the background, Alex…

GREATOREX LESSONS BODE ILL FOR ALP. COMMENT by ALEX NELSON.
The recent tantalising result for Labor in Greatorex will not provide a base upon which to build towards victory in the next general elections; instead, it will likely slip further out of reach in future (assuming that Greatorex still exists in its current form after the next electoral boundary redistribution).
The strong campaign by Labor candidate Fran Kilgariff to wrest Greatorex from the CLP’s Richard Lim proved to be a close-run affair but ended up being remarkably similar to the campaign of June 1994.
At that time Greatorex was held by conservative independent Denis Collins but both the CLP and Labor perceived that his tenure had run its course; the ALP launched an intensive effort with candidate Kerrie Nelson in an attempt to win their first urban seat in the Alice.
Ms Nelson was well known through her work in education and the community, and conducted a thorough campaign effort leading up to June 4.
Her opponent claimed at the time (and made a formal complaint to the Electoral Commission) that several Labor supporters relocated to the old Eastside and re-enrolled on the electoral register to bolster numerical voter support, and then-Opposition Leader Brian Ede offered to swap preferences with the CLP.
All this effort led to a swing to the ALP of about eight per cent, virtually identical to the seven per cent swing that Fran Kilgariff achieved recently ­ and on both occasions the result was determined by distribution of preferences leading to the election of Richard Lim. Lim’s victory in 1994 finally brought to an end the political career of Denis Collins, and coincided with the first election of Loraine Braham as the new CLP member for Braitling. SIMILAR The milestones of Collins and Braham’s political careers are remarkably similar. Mr Collins’ preselection for the seat of Alice Springs in 1980 was unexpected and controversial.
Ms Braham was also very much an outside chance for preselection in 1994 within the context of an intense internal party struggle.
Collins established himself as a popular local member, easily winning the new seat of Sadadeen in 1983 and serving two terms as a member of the CLP.
Loraine Braham likewise quickly achieved popularity as a local member, retaining Braitling in 1997 with ease and also served two terms as a CLP member.
Collins lost CLP preselection to then-local lawyer Shane Stone in 1987, and so ran as an independent candidate and retained Sadadeen after the distribution of preferences from the NT Nationals and the CLP, ultimately winning almost 70 per cent of the votes.
Braham lost CLP preselection in November 2000 and, again, a local lawyer ­ Jodeen Carney ­ was a key figure in the turmoil although not directly in competition with her.
However, the CLP candidate for Braitling in 2001, businessman Peter Harvey, had initially been chosen for Araluen before Ms Carney was given the nod for that electorate.
Mrs Braham ran as an independent candidate and retained Braitling after the distribution of preferences from Labor, with 55.5 per cent of the votes.
In 1990 the CLP preselected Bob Kennedy, a prominent town council alderman, real estate identity and active party member, to contest the new electorate of Greatorex against Denis Collins.
Mr Kennedy achieved almost 40 per cent of the primary vote against Collins’ 32 per cent but three-quarters of Labor’s preferences enabled the sitting MLA to win the seat with 52.5 per cent of the vote.
For 2005 the CLP preselected former alderman, real estate identity and active party member Michael Jones to challenge Loraine Braham; after campaigning for 18 months, Mr Jones stormed ahead in the primary vote only to fall short after distribution of Labor’s preferences.
Labor’s candidate, Sue West, ran the quietest and lowest-profile campaign of all the ALP’s hopefuls in Central Australia, obviously to bolster Mrs Braham’s chances of retaining Braitling, and in achieving this objective can claim a victory of sorts in an Alice urban seat.
Ironically, the Labor government can now dispense with the support of the independents in the Legislative Assembly.
Both Mr Collins and Mrs Braham recorded sequentially lower primary votes in two elections as independents but for quite opposite reasons.
Mr Collins was perceived as an increasingly right-wing extremist over time, and it was this factor that led both major parties to regard his seat of Greatorex as vulnerable in 1994 (and ostensibly why Labor offered to swap preferences with the CLP).
Labor’s preferences had saved Denis Collins in 1990 but in 1994 it was his preferences that thwarted the ALP’s hopes for victory in Greatorex.
Conversely, Loraine Braham was much more accommodating for Labor during its first term of office after 2001, and it is this association that probably damaged her support base in the recent elections.
Like Denis Collins, Loraine Braham’s second term as an independent will be her last but it is here that their records diverge as, in all likelihood, she will be able to retire gracefully undefeated at the polls.
Her departure will also probably coincide with the disappearance of the Braitling electorate.
[The Alice News asked Fran Kilgariff whether she intends to run again in a Territory Legislative Assembly election.
Ms Kilgariff, who has resumed her duties as mayor, said: "At this stage I'm not thinking about anything else apart from my role as mayor ­ all the rest is far too distant in the future to even warrant my consideration."]

Why did you decide to go into politics?

I’ve been living in Alice Springs for almost 19 years (moved from Sydney in 1993). Over that time I’ve observed many social changes some of which have been tremendous and some others that have not been particularly positive. To help make changes, one has to have some political position. I want to be part of a parliamentary system that support the growth of social harmony that doesn’t rely on government hand-outs.

Where did you grow up?

Born in the inner city, I did much of my growing up in the western suburbs of Sydney. I attended Lalor Park Primary School, Seven Hills High School, Nepaen College of Advanced Education, University of New England (externally) and Macquarie University. I worked as a teacher at Yennora and Yagoona Primary Schools and as a school counsellor at Whalan & Canterbury Boys’ High Schools.

What took you to Alice Springs?

I moved to Alice Springs on 26th August 1993 to take up a job as a counsellor and educator with a non-government agency and part-time private ptractice as a psychologist. I then moved into the Community Mental Health field with government and the story moved on from there. Much more information can be found on my web-site at www.philwalcott.com.au

What are some of your best achievements to date?

I’ve been fortunate to achieve so many things in my life’s journey so far. I’ve had the love and support of my family, the encouragement of friends and the opportunities to experience many good things in my life. Alice Springs has offered some excellent ‘windows’ that I’ve been able to explore. The fun thing about life is that you never know what’s on the road ahead…embracing life with a positive perspective certainly helps. Flying from Alice Springs to Alice Springs around the world was a wonderful adventure back in 2009. I’ve visited the United States and South Africa on several occasions as well as South America and loads of place around Australia.

What are your aims as an aspiring local MP?

I want to be able to adequately and professionally represent constituent issues on the floor of the NT Parliament to help build the social, economic & environmental present and future of the electorate. As a practicing psychologist, I believe I have a relatively unique approach to these issues. Strengthening the positive aspects of the electorate will be a challenge I’ll embrace.There will be many challenges along the way but I believe with the support of my constituents, we can achieve many great things. There are changes I’d like to see like the development of multi-member electorates (like they have in the ACT and New Zealand) so that there are more people to ‘do the work’. People often ‘blame’ the government if things start to go wrong when it’s often the bureaucracy that’s the problem. I’ll be seeking to find way to ‘flatten’ the bureacucracy so that the amount of wasted money is reduced.

Why are you standing as an IndependeNT?

Being independent of political party structures and the rules that confine them will allow me more time to focus on what’s best for the people…not the party!!! The profile, role & function of independent members in the NT & other jurisdictions as well as nationally has increased significantly over the past several years. As an Independent member, I’ll have the opportunity to support good policy eminating from the government of the day as well as having the opportunity to have significant input into the development of that policy. I’ll also be able to speak against issues that my constituents and I believe are counter-productive to building harmony and success.

How will you aim to contribute to the well-being of the people you represent?

Promoting a strength of community, building the present & future and achieving positive outcomes. Encouraging them to focus on the positives in their own lives is important. Helping people re-focus on ‘being’ rather than ‘doing’, being ‘survivors’ in their own life journey rather than ‘victims’ etc. Alot of this philiosohy is found on the web-site.

What drew you to Alice?

The job opportunity was the initial drawcard. I’d recently returned to Sydney from overseas (South Africa, Europe and Sri Lanka) when the opportunity presented itself. The essence of the people and the country here has kept me here. I don’t have any desire to live back in a big city again. There are loads of opportunities that I want to explore in conjuction with the many sensational people who live here.

What happened that drew you into politics?

Having lived here for 16 years since 1993, I was witnessing a gradual decline in the ‘face of Alice’ with increased social issues emanating from a continuing reliance on the ‘dependency’ welfare culture. By 2007, The NT Intervention was another wake-up that the NT is not independent of the Federal govenment because we are not a state. Being part of the statehood debate was another drawcard. It was time to phil the gap!!!

How long ago did you start your campaign, how is it going and what support do you have?

I began my campaign in late 2009 following my return from an overseas tourism related trip. I began early to give me plenty of time to become involved in the arena, develop my thoughts and platforms and introduce myself to the electorate in a number of ways. Several people thought I should begin in local governemnt (Town Council) but the things I want to achieve go way beyond the limitations of the Local Government Act. The campaign is on-going being a little encumbered by me having a contract with the Education Department since March last year but I’ll resign on 5th July so i can go into full-time campaign mode. I have loads of support from many sectors in the community including local politicians (apart from the incumbent member!!!), business (I’m a member of the Chamber of Commerce and sit on the Executive of Tourism Central Australia), media, friends, family and most importantly my partner, Glenn. He is a solid strength with his love and encouragement helping me along.

What are your policies and how they been received so far.?

I have a number of platforms on my web-site. Governments are the ones that introduce policy so I have the opportunity to have my platforms included in those of whichever major party wins power on 25th August. So far, I’ve received lots of endorsements from people who equally want to see social enhancement and positive growth emanate from my involvement.

If you don’t get elected this time around, does it mean you’ll give up, stand for a Party, go federal or continue your campaign for another 4 years?

It’s clearly my intention to be elected this coming August so that’s where my energy is being directed. I’ll take your question ‘on notice’ and get back to you at the end of August. Que sera; sera…

You’ve had your ad in TT for a good length of time readers must be familiar, is there any particular reason why you chose TT considering it’s in Qld

My decison to advertise in That’s Theodore is because of the owner and editor. Rose Connolly has been a very strong friend of mine for over 18 years. She was one of the significant people I first met in Alice Springs. She and I have hosted a variety of social events in The Alice and have built a strong relationship. She is a person of great integrity and has a strong sense of community spirit. Her evolving TT is just another element of that strength so I want to support her in whatever ways I can. Taking out an ad in each TT edition is just some small part I can play in helping to support her and her love of humanity.

1) – Education
The second event I would like to talk about is the Youth Drama Forum that I attended on 19 April in Alice Springs. The forum was organised and run by Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College in Alice Springs at the Traeger Park campus. It was held during the Alice Springs sittings, and it was certainly a great privilege for me to be invited by the school, staff and students to their Youth Drama night. It had an extra significant feeling for me because I actually attended Traeger Park in the 1970s as a student myself when I grew up in Alice Springs in the Gap. It was probably the first time I have been back there since the late 1970s. It was great to be back at my old school and to be invited by the school community.

The play on Youth Drama night was originally written a Mr Suruli Rajan Kandasamy. The name of the drama was Journey. It revolved around the lives of four young characters between 16 and 18 who encountered quite a few personal problems, as young people do at that age. It was set inside a vehicle, where the four young people put up a bold front in the company of each other. It touched on many emotional and dramatic events that young people face today in their lives.

The drama revolved around them driving around after a session in the pub, masked by inner sadness and the need to keep up appearances amongst their peer group and colleagues. I suppose the main aim of the play was to show people and other students who were there watching the drama that we all make mistakes – everyone does – but it is how we deal with them, particularly young people. The message was that life is a journey, it is human to take the wrong turn, but it takes less to make that u-turn. It was a very emotional, very dramatic drama play that the students put on. The actors were four young students from OLSH: Thea de Graaff, Matt Delsar, Aaron Crowe and Emma Forrester, who all played their characters very well. Obviously, a lot of time had gone into practising for their roles and they did a great job. All credit to them and to Rajan, the original play writer. I also congratulate the event coordinators, production crew from the school, and also the many sponsors that assisted with its organisation.

There is one particular person I wish to mention briefly – Mr Phil Walcott. Phil is now in his 30th year as a professional educator. He initially trained as a primary/infant teacher and taught in that capacity in Sydney. In 1983, he was awarded a NSW Department of Education Scholarship to complete his Master of Arts in Psychology at Macquarie University. Phil began his school counselling career in 1985, and remained with the New South Wales Department until 1990. Phil moved to Alice Springs in 1993 and, from 1994 until 2000, he worked professionally with the NT Health and Education department. Since 2001, Phil has been at St Philip’s College as a counsellor and consultant psychologist, four days a week. He works concurrently in private practice and the Alice Springs Hospital on occasion.

Phil has enjoyed extensive experience with infants, primary, and secondary aged students in both public and private school systems. He has worked with many young people confronting the typical issues of adolescence. These include building positive relationships and self-image, self-esteem, substance use and abuse issues, teenage parenthood, and life skills, for well over two decades. Phil was there that night and was absolutely delighted to be involved in the drama night. It was a great night and I thank the students and staff who invited me there. It was certainly well worth the visit that night.

I also touch on the main aim of the youth drama night at the school, which was to let young people know and give them advice about what services are available to them in Alice Springs, and to connect those young people to those services. Actually, at the end of the night, they had people from those youth organisations and service providers out the front as a panel, and students were given an opportunity to ask various questions that related to the role play, to the drama, but also to their real life situations. It was a great night.

2) Tourism
That is great news, particularly as future growth in the Territory is likely to come mostly from international markets. Anecdotal evidence from tourism associations suggest that the tourism season ahead for the Centre is looking promising. CATIA has reported strong bookings throughout Central Australia, particularly from the second week of June, and there are good booking patterns through to November. There is evidence of a strong international market presence and the drive market remains strong. This is despite the rising cost of fuel. Hire companies appear to be up 10% on last year. Just yesterday, Phil Walcott of the Rainbow Connection said that he experienced his best November and December ever with good growth in the January/February period and good forward bookings. Phil also said that the branding and profile of Central Australia as a safe and experiential destination is strong and building.

It’s great to have been able to take part in these important community initiatives…I certainly look forward to being part of more!!!

There are a small but very visible group of people in the community (and some who come to visit) who are fuelled by the desire to drink alcohol until they’re drunk. It’s all about ‘the next drink’. Their children are learning this behaviour from parents and other adults. It’s all about a dependency culture. As I’ve said before, we have evolved a culture of dependency within Australia over the past half century where significant groups of people have come to expect that government hand-outs are an entitlement without them having to contribute anything of value (like work) to the equation. This dependency is all about taking without contributing. There are groups of young people who are surviving chronic trauma on a daily basis. Their little brains are developing in ways that influence their ability to develop a sense of empathy or compassion. They are unable to process information in the same ways as childre who are not being traumatised. As a whole community, we have to work towards changing many of those dependency practices. It’s all part of the IndependeNT campaign.

Heading back to Alice today to catch up with Glenn, spend some time together over the weekend working, attend the Bangtail Muster in Todd Mall on Monday morning and then move into gear. I’m resigning from the Department of Education and Training on 5th July so I have a mountain load of work to ge through before then. With only 15 weeks to go…there is clearly much to be done. Of course, winning the confidence and support of the people of Greatorex is only the beginning…the job that lies ahead is what counts. As one Alice Springs local member said to me during the week – it’s the busiest job she’s ever undertaken. I have no doubt!!!

Neither the Government nor the Opposition mentioned the ‘social’ budget. The focus was all on the dollar value of approaches. If the community is in social deficit (community well-being, social harmony etc.) then we having nothing to build ‘money story’ on. Communities that are bereft of a strong and cohesive community underpinning their well-being will continue to struggle.

I’ve been receiving facebook messages from friends and other people in Alice Springs who want to know what to do about the anti-social activity there. The answers are as complex as the problems. If we choose to work proactively with them, we will find a way through the issues that have been evident over the past severa years. We have to focus on the solutions…not the problems.

To improve the economic sustainablity of the NT, I believe that Government, of whatever persuasions, needs to forge greater and more sustainable partnerships with domestic and international industries (like they have achieved with Impex) and Aboriginal corporations that share the costs of providing and maintaining the much needed infratstructure in schools, hospitals, roads, housing and the like throughout the jurisdiction. Mining royalties ned to be shared more equitably around the 73 Aboriginal communities and 580 Aboriginal homelands to help. This is not just a government responsibility…it’s a ‘whole-of-community’ one. While the Aboriginal corporations may have many millions of dollars in bank accounts ‘for the future’, if they don’t take their share of investing in ‘the present’ there will be no future!!! There are some excellent people working in these organisations, industries and government already…we just need to have the discussions around how we can all better contribute to the social enhancement of our ‘whole’ community.

There are clearly social issues that impact on our jurisdition. Alcohol misuse is one that plagues our various cultures within The NT far out-stripping the national average. People sourcing their alcohol on-line and having it posted or sent to the NT disguises the actual amount even further. Alcohol consumption and misuse is just one more feature of the ‘dependency debate’. Ther are some cultures with the NT that do not consume alcohol at all. Others choose not to consume for their own reasons. We also have a strong ‘cultural’ attachment to smoking tobacco. Addictions equate with dependency. We each need to work hard towards being indpendent of these legal drugs. And then, of course, there is the continued consumption of of illegal drugs in our communities, towns and cities around the NT. All are associated with ‘dependency’. Keeping people dependent is one way of keeping power and control in the hands of the few rather than sharing it more equitatbly.

Speaking of which, mining magnate Clive Palmer, has just this morning announced that he is set to challenge the incumbent federal Treasurer at the next election. That’s an example of what I mean… When the former Queensland Premier, Sir Joh Bjelkie-Petersen was the ‘power’ in that state 30 plus years ago, his policies were to keep cigarette and alcohol prices very low in an attempt to ‘suppress the masses’, keep them ‘content’ and subsequently maintain his ‘power over’ them.

Looking forward to the debates that will emerge over the few days and weeks. Being on leave means I can add more blogs more often. Log your ideas here…help me to phil the gap(s)!!!

Moving to an MMP model would require amendments to the Self-Government Act (NT) and the Electoral Commission Act so there would be plenty of work that needs to be done before any changes could take place.

The Australian Capital Territory currently has 13 Parliamentary members representing 3 electorates. A mix of Liberal, Labor and Greens representatives, they are able to more widely represent their constituents and share the Ministerial load more broadly. New Zealand has a national MMP model.

Worth further investigation, conversation and debate. Your thoughts???