Mayor welcomes Francis Xavier

West Arnhem Regional Council Mayor Lothar Siebert welcomes Member for Arafura Francis Xavier Kurrupuwu to a council meeting on 12 November.

MEMBER for Arafura Francis Xavier Kurrupuwu MLA was welcomed to West Arnhem by the Regional Council Mayor Lothar Siebert to listen to community concerns, including the need for a morgue in Maningrida.

On Wednesday 12 November 2014 Mr Kurrupuwu attended an Ordinary Meeting of the West Arnhem Regional Council (WARC) at the Chambers in Jabiru, accompanied by Office of the Chief Minister Regional Liaison Officer Rohan Kelly.

Mr Kurrupuwu thanked the Council for the invitation to attend the meeting.

“It is a great way to engage directly with the community, and a chance for me to hear the issues here from the people on the ground,” he said. “The NT Government recently held a cabinet meeting in Maningrida, and handed over half a million dollars to help develop business and tourism in the region. For this to happen we need to put the accommodation opposite the airport into use, and seal the road for about five kilometres past the airport to keep down the dust.”

WARC Mayor Lothar Siebert thanked Mr Kurrupuwu for his attendance at the Council meeting.

“Having our local member Francis Xavier here is very valuable, because if we ask a question he can give us a direct answer,” Mayor Siebert said.

One of the issues discussed at the meeting was the need for morgues, which Cr Matthew Ryan raised in his role as Local Authority member in meetings in Maningrida. Mr Kelly addressed the issue, stating the Health Department was looking into individual communities having temporary, mobile morgues before the wet season.