What a year it has been for Mparntwe Alice Springs – and that’s just the first month!

Once Mayor Asta Hill announced she would not be attending the Citizenship ceremony on 26 Jan,  much noise and action erupted in our community and resulted in a vibrant to overflowing attendance at the first Town Council for 2026. The socials were running almost as hot as the gruelling 40+ degree days that have ushered in the year, yet the proceedings went ahead with calm and respect and everyone agreed that the Citizenship Ceremony had been a great success and thanked Deputy Mayor Alison Bitar for officiating. One question time participant asked, "...doesn't the Mayor's stance show more consideration to ALL members of her community no matter what opinion they have on this issue?"

Contrary to the mood in the room, a petition for the Alice Springs Mayor to resign had been set in motion and the Speaker of the NT Govt later went on the airwaves  of Mix 104.9 to announce that  ‘compliments of the Greens mayor, we now have a community split in half.” “…they got there early, they took all the seats- 70 Greens representatives and about 10 people  there to protest against the mayor. Robyn Lambley concludes that the Greens have taken over the Alice Springs Town Council.

Here the Mayor speaks to these comments and takes a moment to talk through her decision based on a crisis of conscience. Other meeting business included the Council's formal submission to the Northern Territory Government on the Draft Buﬀel Grass Weed Management Plan 2026–2036, and the progress into extending public library weekend hours.

What a year it has been for Mparntwe Alice Springs &ndash; and that&rsquo;s just the first month!
Once <a href="https://www.instagram.com/asta_hill_mayor/">Mayor Asta Hill</a> announced she would not be attending the Citizenship ceremony on 26 Jan,&nbsp; much noise and action erupted in our community and resulted in a vibrant to overflowing attendance at the first <a href="https://www.alicesprings.nt.gov.au/council-meetings/">Town Council</a> for 2026. The socials were running almost as hot as the gruelling 40+ degree days that have ushered in the year, yet the proceedings went ahead with calm and respect and everyone agreed that the Citizenship Ceremony had been a great success and thanked Deputy Mayor Alison Bitar for officiating. One question time participant asked, "...doesn't the Mayor's stance show more consideration to ALL members of her community no matter what opinion they have on this issue?"
Contrary to the mood in the room, a petition for the Alice Springs Mayor to resign had been set in motion and the Speaker of the NT Govt later went on the airwaves&nbsp; of Mix 104.9 to announce that&nbsp; &lsquo;compliments of the Greens mayor, we now have a community split in half.&rdquo; &ldquo;&hellip;they got there early, they took all the seats- 70 Greens representatives and about 10 people &nbsp;there to protest against the mayor. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RobynLambleyMLA/">Robyn Lambley</a> concludes that the Greens have taken over the Alice Springs Town Council.
Here the Mayor speaks to these comments and takes a moment to talk through her decision based on a crisis of conscience. Other meeting business included the Council's formal submission to the Northern Territory Government on&nbsp;the Draft Buﬀel Grass Weed Management Plan 2026&ndash;2036, and the progress into extending public library weekend hours.

Interviews, local stories and news for Central Australia and The Barkly.

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8CCC Big Brekky is supported by the Community Broadcasting Foundation

Interviews, local stories and news for Central Australia and The Barkly.
Presented live weekdays on 8CCC Radio 102.1FM.
Stream through the 8CCC Connect app and 8ccc.com.au
Listen back to interviews On Demand or through our podcast
8CCC Big Brekky is supported by the Community Broadcasting Foundation