Grieving families get two extra months with roadside memorial under new Alice Springs Council policy

A Territory council is allowing two more months ‘to acknowledge sensitivities’ for grieving families who have a roadside memorial in the Red Centre capital, as part of a policy overhaul.

Alice Springs Town Council meetings are held once month in council chambers, Alice Springs. Picture: Gera Kazakov

Grieving families will now get two extra months with their “temporary” roadside memorial, under a newly revised policy adopted by a Territory council.

The Alice Springs Town Council, at the Tuesday ordinary council meeting, unanimously adopted a new roadside memorial policy.

Under the new policy, grieving families now have two extra months before their “temporary” memorial expires, with council increasing the period from 14 months to 16 months, the officer’s report on the new policy states.

The increased time frame is “to acknowledge sensitivities around anniversaries,” the report states, with council now set to reach out to families 30 days before the memorials are due to expire.

Under the new council policy, families have two more months before they have to make a decision on erecting a permanent memorial. Picture: Craig Warhurst

Council is implementing a new roadside memorial register – which contains family contact details, as well as approval and expiry dates – alongside having rangers oversee roadside memorials on council land.

Previously, council technical services were responsible for overseeing roadside memorials.

Memorial removal is also now in the hands of the council director of community development – who must now approve any memorial removals, the report said.

Other new policy additions include providing “clearer processes and timelines for temporary and permanent removals of roadside memorials” and new clearer design parameters on what is and is not allowed at a roadside memorial, the officer’s report states.

At Tuesday’s council meeting, Mayor Matt Paterson questioned why council needed to wait 16 months before allowing a permanent monument to be erected.

Acting community development director Kate Walsh said the department will look into the time frame.