No Dutton, No Albo, no answers? Alice Springs wondering why leaders skipped town during campaign
Days out from the federal election, Alice Springs has been left wondering why neither major party leader has visited – with one resident saying it is because they’ve got no answers.
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Neither the Labor nor Liberal party leader visiting Alice Springs during the election campaign has one resident claiming it is because neither “have the answers” to issues plaguing the town.
With a federal election taking place on Saturday, federal Nationals Party leader David Littleproud used his time in town on Thursday to attack incumbent Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for not visiting Alice Springs.
Speaking at a press conference by the Todd River – the dry river which runs through Alice Springs – Mr Littleproud said he had visited the town six times, and questioned where Mr Albanese was.
But also absent was his coalition counterpart (and Opposition party leader) Peter Dutton, who last visited Alice Springs in January, prior to the election being called.
Last week, he visited Darwin, and during his prior visit to Darwin Mr Dutton kicked a football into the head of a cameraman, causing him to bleed.
But Mr Littleproud said the national opposition leader’s absence in Alice Springs was because Lingiari was his “responsibility,” hence why he’d “invested my time continually to be here”.
Alice Springs baker Darren Clark – who also runs the Action for Alice 2020 facebook page – said he thought both of the leaders had “visited enough times”.
“We’ve had Dutton here a couple of times, we’ve had Albanese here a few times and we’ve probably been over represented on a national level, when you think about other regions that get no visits,” he said.
“So we’ve been fortunate in that way.
“Also it’s a bit of a toxic place politically because none of them have got the answers.”
During the past 24 months, crime has thrust Alice Springs into the national spotlight.
In April last year, a curfew was called for the town by the then-Labor Territory government after footage emerged of rioters in the street attacking the Todd Tavern.
The same government also called another curfew in July.
Mr Albanese was last in Alice Springs in February, where he committed more than $800 million towards Indigenous organisations in the Territory.
Mr Albanese also visited Lake Nash station in January – located next to the QLD border in the NT – but did not go to the Indigenous community of Alpurrurulam, where he flew into to get to the station.
Alice Springs Town Council mayor Matt Paterson said he would liked to have seen either leader visit during the election campaign, but said the recent visits showed the town was “getting heard loud and clear”.
“Politicians are certainly coming to Alice and, you know, I acknowledge that they can’t be everywhere,” he said.
Council of Small Business Organisations Australia head of progress Nicole Walsh, who is based in Alice Springs, said it was disappointing neither leader visited.
“We know that Central Australia and the NT are absolutely crucial and pivotal to the Australian economy,” she said.
At the last federal election, Labor‘s Marion Scrymgour held onto the seat of Lingiari through preferences.
The seat, which covers the majority of the NT and includes Alice Springs, saw a swing of 4.51 per cent to the CLP.
Mr Albanese was contacted for comment.
Originally published as No Dutton, No Albo, no answers? Alice Springs wondering why leaders skipped town during campaign
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