MyDarwin voucher scheme ready to relaunch with $200,000 top-up from NT government

DARWIN council’s MyDarwin voucher scheme will restart at 12.01am Thursday morning, with the NT government putting $200,000 back into Darwin’s voucher pool.

The Football and Cricket Shop business manager Mark Noonan and Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis. Mr Vatskalis says the MyDarwin voucher scheme will reopen tomorrow with a $200,000 top-up. Picture: Katrina Bridgeford

• NT Government to extend Darwin council’s successful MyDarwin voucher scheme to take it Territory-wide

DARWIN council’s MyDarwin voucher scheme will restart at 12.01am Thursday morning, with the NT government putting $200,000 back into Darwin’s voucher pool.

Darwin Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis said the money would be split into two $100,000 pools, each starting on the next two Thursdays, to help the money last longer

The timing would allow all businesses who peak at different times during the week and on the weekend to benefit.

“We want people to use it Thursday morning to go and get coffee and breakfast,” Mr Vatskalis said.

“It will give people time to spend money on Thursday, Friday and hopefully Saturday and it will be spent both in businesses who open during the week and on the weekend.”

The second pool will be open at 12.01am on Thursday July 23.

Mr Vatskalis said he expected about $650,000 to be generated from each $100,000 pool, meaning that over two weeks more than $1 million would be poured back into the economy.

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“Starting it this Thursday will give it two days before the weekend so the timing to spend money will be right,” he said.

“The two weeks will be good because it will overlap the opening of the borders and encourage visitors to spend in Darwin as well.

“Hopefully that will help tourists spend and spend and spend.”

Mr Vatskalis said he had already heard there was support for the initiative from Alice Springs Mayor Damien Ryan and hoped his counterpart in Palmerston, Athina Pascoe-Bell, would also jump on board.

“I heard Damien Ryan in Alice Springs say it’s a good idea, he’s looking forward to spending it in Alice Springs but I’m pretty sure people will like it and use it as well because it’s a great project,” he said.

“It’s a very simple and very successful program that delivers for businesses and consumers.

“I hope the same will apply with Palmerston and their Mayor Athina Pascoe-Bell.”

With information yet to be provided to councils, many including Palmerston and Litchfield were unsure of how they would embrace the scheme.

But Litchfield Mayor Maree Bredhauer said she was looking forward to seeing how the scheme would work and how Litchfield businesses and residents could benefit.

“This is a great initiative and has made a positive impact on benefiting local businesses in Darwin,” she said.

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“Council has not made any decision on this offer and will be working through this over the coming days.

“Council is on the tail end of setting its budget for the coming financial year and will need to consider this offer in the context of this budget.”