HERE is a revelation that may catch some Katherinites by surprise: political parties throw sacks of cash at communities in order to garner the support of voters.
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In campaign mode, the cash splash lunacy ramps up to the point where another funding announcement can cause even the most patient person to tear their hair out.
Is this light-speed spending new?
Not in the slightest.
Is it to be regarded with a level of contempt?
To a degree, but big-ticket promises can benefit communities more than they do the beaming politicians making them.
Over the past month, Katherine has been on the receiving end of some major spending by the Giles government in what could honestly be assessed as a concerted bid to retain the seat when voters head to the polls in a little over three months.
Some of the more high-profile funding announcements – including $10 million for the construction of a glass Skywalk in Nitmiluk National Park – have been described by Katherinites disenfranchised by the amateurish state of Northern Territory politics as everything from hair-brained wastes of money to “bribes”.
There is no doubt the government will expect the financial windfall to shore up more than a few votes, but we need to peer through the politicking to see what such announcements really mean for Katherine.
Without the frenzy of politicians attempting to appeal to the average punter on the street with hastily-scrawled novelty cheques, our town would have never been in a position to invest $10m in tourism that will bring thousands of extra visitors – and their wallets – to the region.
Without millions of dollars worth’ of funding for infrastructure upgrades, Katherinites would still be screaming about why nothing had been done to improve the assets we take for granted.
These are wins that will improve our town, irrespective of which party flag is flying from the fifth floor in August.
As long as we continue to live in a democracy where the opinions of voters can be swayed, we will always have political parties throwing money around, especially when there is an election looming.
We need to acknowledge this and then abandon the opaque glasses of cynicism to recognise that political point-scoring through funding announcements is a vital cog our town’s long-term development.
