Assault at Oasis Shopping Village

I heard about an assault at the toilets of the Oasis Shopping Village recently. When you think about the pain/hurt this causes individuals, you would have to agree with those of us saying that the current crime rate is too high. Palmerston must be a safe place for families; a safe place for individuals. The level of domestic violence that local Police deal with is too high, and we need to encourage safer homes, and safer community spaces.

How to save money while living in the Territory

Entries close on Monday 13th April for nominating someone for a Pride of Australia Medal 2009. Click here for more information. Maybe someone comes to mind that you could nominate? Someone that has invested into the life of the Territory.
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Average weekly bills are set to rise by July 1st. Average weekly Territorian usage will see a power bill increase by $9 (a week), water by $5 and $1 for sewage. The PowerWater company in Darwin/Palmerston has infrastructure years behind what it should have, and these price increases is just a drop in the ocean to assist PowerWater in getting their facilities up to scratch.
My concern is with local families paying their power bills in the Territory. With high housing prices, exorbitant rental prices, and the price of bills increasing, how do we best support those in need? Throwing more money at Welfare centres is a band-aid solution, yet helpful in the short term. Here's some ideas on how to save money while living in the Territory:
* Attend Budgeting classes - How to manage your finances
* Young people could pay rent at home - especially if they have a part-time job
* Car Pooling
* Turning off the Air Conditioner, especially on those low humidity days
* Walking to the shops?
* Have Centrelink direct debit money for PowerWater and other bills
* Pay extra tax - That's an easy way to save for a holiday in August/September!
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Palmerston Daily - Local News, Local Issues, Local Voices - Have your say - comment here.

Crime in the Territory - Still too high

Some Crime statistics were released today, showing that the number of recorded assaults dropped by 4% in 2008, to 5300. Over five thousand assaults in a year still sounds like too many. ABC Darwin writes that, "The Acting Chief Minister, Delia Lawrie, says there is too much violence in the Territory. 'We're still seeing far too many assaults being linked to alcohol and also far too many assaults being linked to domestic violence, a territory average of 51 percent domestic violence. We're seeing [domestic violence] figures trending down in Darwin and Palmerston, but [are] still too high.' "
Compared to the year before, more cars were stolen, more cars were broken into, more businesses were robbed...
Hey, lets buck the trend in 2009. Palmerston and Darwin need to be places of safety, places where each person is treated with dignity and respect.
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Apparently 24% of Territorians don't drink Alcohol. Thinking about how much Alcohol is consumed in the NT, the other 76% must do a good job!
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Residents of Palmerston are looking forward to the building of a Water Park IN Palmerston. Hopefully the ball is rolling, and the plans are well underway. Thanks Mr. Henderson.
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If you've got a story for Palmerston Daily, email: peter.brookshaw@aus.salvationarmy.org