NEWS 07
MONDAY DECEMBER 19 2016
Players
take stand
on abuse
AAA status
only ‘50/50’
LIKE a poker play, Finance
Minister Mathias Cormann
didn’t give too much away on
the eve of the mid-year budget
review.
But it remains to be seen
whether his and Treasurer
Scott Morrison’s budget forecasts in today’s update are
about to gamble away Australia’s top-tier triple-A rating.
Economist and keen budget
watcher Chris Richardson believes it’s a 50/50 call on Australia retaining its rating, while
former Liberal leader and professor of economics John
Hewson expects the government will just do enough to retain the rating until next year’s
May budget.
MOLLY BAXTER
Indonesian’s
back on menu
DARWIN CBD workers rejoice – Sari Rasa will return on
December 21.
The Indonesian eatery beloved by public servants shut
down in late October, leaving
hundreds of hungry Darwin
residents without a delicious
and convenient source of mie
goreng and fish curry.
But in a Facebook post yesterday, the restaurant’s management announced it would
be back in business on Wednesday in its original location
on Cavenagh St.
Southern Districts captain Matt Cannard links arms with Nightcliff skipper Nathan Brown as part of a Territory-wide campaign to stamp
out domestic violence over the Christmas break
Picture: JUSTIN KENNEDY
Stats show
NT drivers a
wild bunch
CRASHING into an animal
accounts for nearly a third of
all NT outback car accidents,
while Darwin drivers are more
likely to hit a parked car or a
tree, new figures reveal.
Incident statistics from
across the Territory over the
past 12 months have been released in the latest AAMI
Crash Index.
They show more than a
third (35.81 per cent) of accidents in Darwin came as a result of drivers hitting stationary objects, such as trees,
bollards and even buildings.
More than a quarter (28.14
per cent) of accidents in Darwin were nose-to-tail crashes,
while 17 per cent were a result
of a driver failing to give way.
Outside of Darwin, nearly a
third (30.34 per cent) of collisions involved an animal.
This was around three times
the annual Territory average
and more than 10 times the average for Darwin.
AAMI spokesman Jake
V1 - NTNE01Z01MA
“There are
many
distractions
for drivers to
contend with”
Krausmann said these types of
accidents continued to be common on NT roads, despite
many being avoidable.
“It’s clear Darwin drivers
need to focus their attention to
being aware of their surroundings,” Mr Krausmann said.
“There are many distractions for drivers to contend
with, from mobile phones to
kids in the back seats.
“However, drivers must resist these distractions and devote more attention to the
road.
“Nose-to-tail accidents are
also high in Darwin and are
usually the result of impatient
driving, distraction or following the car in front too closely.
“You should always be prepared for the unexpected, and
if the car in front stops unexpectedly, you want to ensure
you have enough room to
brake safely.”
From a national perspective, nearly four out of five
(79.2 per cent) accident insurance claims occurred within 25km of the driver’s house.
As part of their Crash Index,
AAMI surveyed 4090 drivers
from across the country and
discovered while only one in
five motorists considered
themselves to be an impatient
driver, nearly 60 per cent admitted to exceeding the speed
limit some of the time.
“With nearly one in three
attributing their speed to taking their eye off the speed limit,
it reinforces that concentration is key for all drivers,”
Mr Krausmann said.
FOOTY players across the
Territory have linked arms in a
symbol of stamping out domestic violence over the Christmas period.
At Ausbuild Oval in Palmerston yesterday, players, fans
and coaching staff of all teams
in the NTFL assembled, linking arms to show that domestic
violence was not OK.
Southern Districts captain
Matt Cannard said his troops
were proud to get behind the
No More campaign, especially
after 255 incidents of domestic
violence was reported to police
in last year’s Christmas period.
The aim was to have no incidents over Christmas.
“It’s really important to get
all the players involved, especially because they are role
models,” Mr Cannard said.
Linking arms with Nightcliff captain Nathan Brown,
their teams formed a strong
and visually powerful barrier,
clearly showing their message.
“We’ve really got behind
this,” he said.
It wasn’t the only game
where players linked arms
though, with participants in
other women’s and men’s
games doing so before the first
siren.
PRE CHRISTMAS
Sale!
New container arrival
with new stock!
Water features • Pots • Plants • Buddhas and more!
08 8985 3388
www.tigerpots.com.au
Homemaker Village Cnr Bagot Rd and Skelton St
(next to Spotlight) Millner Darwin NT