In the interest of safety, Territory Day shouldn’t be a public holiday
MAKING Territory Day into a public holiday is an awful idea. It will lead to more cracker-related injuries, a spike in bushfires and an increase in drunken misbehaviour, writes LAUREN ROBERTS
Opinion
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I LOVE Cracker Night.
Is there anything more Territorian than setting off your own fireworks and proudly watching them explode in a cascade of bright colours?
But making Territory Day into a public holiday is an absolutely awful idea.
It sounds like a great plan — who doesn’t love a day off? — but if July 1 is an official holiday it will lead to more cracker-related injuries, a spike in bushfires and an increase in drunken misbehaviour right across the Territory.
But don’t take my word for it — look at the data.
On Cracker Night this year, 17 people presented to Territory public hospitals with a range of minor burns, lacerations and ear related injuries — none of which were life threatening.
Territory-wide, 160 people called NT Fire and Rescue — roughly half the number of calls received in 2018.
Why? Well, in 2019 Territory Day fell on a Monday, which meant it was relatively calm.
Last year, though, totally different story.
According to the NT Centre for Disease Control’s fireworks-related injury survey, there were 38 firework-related injuries after Cracker Night on Sunday July 1, 2018 — with a similar figure recorded on Saturday July 1, 2017.
That’s more than double the number of cracker injuries this year.
WHY I copped a cracker to my knackers
WHY I stuck a cracker up my clacker
WHY I stuck a bunger in my bunghole
WHY I’ve got a banger on my wanger
CDC researchers said last year they recorded the “highest number of people requiring admission to the hospital for further treatment since 1998 with two people requiring surgical management of burns”.
Jeez, that’s alarming.
What’s the big difference between this year and the last two?
Territory Day fell on a weekend in 2017 and 2018. This year they had to work.
This week, independent Member for Blain Terry Mills renewed calls for Territory Day to be a public holiday. He reckons we should ditch May Day or the Queen’s Birthday as NT public holidays in favour of Territory Day.
Mr Mills said Territory Day could become something more significant than a cracker party, by offering Territorians a day to ponder “a new vision” for the NT.
And what do people do on weekends and public holidays?
They drink.
Then they go back to the store to stock up on another big box of firecrackers.
Then they drink a bit more.
Does day drinking make anyone more responsible? Does a belly full of beer help anyone make sensible cracker-related decisions?
If anything, we should make July 1 a half day holiday.
We could shift the annual Territory Day citizenship ceremonies to the afternoon and give people the chance to cheer for our newest Territorians.
Or we could make the morning of July 2 a half-day holiday — give people a chance to catch up on sleep (because whether you’ve let off crackers or not — you’re not sleeping).
People can then find their missing pets and chip in to clean up the debris typically left behind from litterbugs.
The half day NT public holiday isn’t without precedent.
In 2016, Chief Minister Michael Gunner introduced two half-day public holidays on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve in 2016.
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Surely it makes more sense to have one of these on Territory Day? Who really needs to start celebrating NYE (which we don’t really celebrate until midnight) at midday?
I understand what Mr Mills is calling for — he wants to unite Territorians, and give them something to celebrate. But are people really going to spend Territory Day pondering how great the NT is?
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Or are they going to get drunk and let off fireworks?
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