8CCC Big Brekky

8CCC's Kate Lyons-Dawson caught up with Mparntwe Alice Springs Mayor Asta Hill to discuss the September 2026 Ordinary Town Council meeting on Tuesday. It was a record, over six hour long sitting where much was resolved, most importantly calling on the Australian Government to list buffel grass as a Weed of National Significance, while also seeking a funded partnership with the Australian and Northern Territory governments to support its ongoing management on Council-managed land. An economic summit will also be organised to share ideas and look at how Alice Springs can capitalise on economic opportunities, approving up to $10,000 from the Elected Member Projects budget to support the summit. Expected to take up to 24 months, a comprehensive review of Council's bylaws is set to begin, looking at the local rules that help shape how we live, work and use shared spaces across Alice Springs. A detailed legislative process will be followed before any changes can be adopted and the community will have opportunities to have their say throughout the process. 

Listen back to hear of the positive action the Council has taken on it's environmental footprint, keeping it well on track for 2030 goals, plus Peter Varris, the new CEO's busy first two days.

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Not long ago, Gadigal/Sydney-based band C.O.F.F.I.N. came to Bustard Town for an incredible rock show with an important cause. Gig organiser Greg Barnes joined Baini on the show to discuss Frack Me Dead, an anti-fracking rock and roll show.

Greg was glowing in his praise of C.O.F.F.I.N. and the singer/drummer Ben for the efforts he has put into the anti-fracking campaign. "They really spread the message strong throughout the set, unscripted, just pure energy... The singer Ben is super well-read, and is an amazing public speaker, and did some solid messaging as well as playing the best rock and roll in Australia."

Greg has been instrumental in campaigning for anti-fracking messaging with these gigs and merch drops across the NT, and implored listeners to keep the fight going against fracking organisations. "Right now companies are going in and doing test drilling. It's crunch time to be able to get it at a federal level to be able to stop this threat."

Catch the full audio from the show on Saltwater Radio/8CCC 102.1 next Wednesday Oct 7th at 7pm

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Richie 1250 joined Baini on the Big Brekky Show to talk about the upcoming Slow Grind Fever at The Black Wreath.

Richie has brought Slow Grind Fever to Mparntwe for a number of years thanks to the warm reception he always receives from the locals. "People there just really love it, and I just really love coming up there. It's a very welcoming town. Some places I go, it's very hard to make connections... Every time I come up I feel very welcomed in to the community. It's great!"

Slow Grind Fever is know for it's smokey, dreamlike atmosphere, acting as a veil to the crowds' carefree choreography while Richie plays some of his sultriest vinyl jams.

Catch Slow Grind Fever this Saturday Oct 3rd 2026 at The Black Wreath from 9pm.

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Beth Uhe from BB Sabina joins Baini on the Big Brekky Show to disucss Dissolve, the 8CCC Feature Album of the Week.

Dissolve is an immersive, sprawling album built around themes of transformation, transcendence and the act of letting go. Across its seven-track landscape,
layered shoegaze guitars collide with pulsing atmospheric synths, trip-hop rhythms and post-rock dynamics, shifting between moments of intensity and space to create something vibrant, surreal and transportive.

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NT Writers Centre Executive Director, SezzaJai Sykes visited 8CCC Brekky to inform listeners of the upcoming celebrations of the 2026 Northern Territory Writing Awards, whether you are in Mparntwe Alice Springs, Darwin or further afield. Bringing together for the first time the Northern Territory’s three premier literary awards —the NT Book Awards, the NT History Book Award, and the NT Literary Awards — the ceremony celebrates outstanding literary talent and recognises excellence across published and unpublished writing. On 23 September it's taking place in Darwin with a satellite event in Alice Springs and streaming online.

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8CCC's Kate Lyons-Dawson was joined by Kelli Cole, Curator for the Vincent Lingiari Award to talk about the exhibition and it's opening, alongside Desert Mob at Araluen Art Centre on Thursday night. Kelli, after over twenty years of working in the National Gallery, has returned to Mparntwe Alice Springs with a wealth of knowledge and experience which she generously shared over a wide range of topics including the Award theme of the 50th anniversary of the Aboriginal Land Rights Act (NT), the state of representation of ATSI collections in Australian art institutions, what makes a good mentorship and a call for education to embrace art and particularly Aboriginal art to improve our connection as a country.

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(A) from Snap Media joined Baini on the show this morning to discuss the recent gag order that the Northern Territory Government has put out on the publication’s media inquiries. Snap media is an independent news and media source based in Darwin. The publication covers political issues in the NT and presents them to the public via their substack or on instagram.

Over the weekend, (A) discovered that the CLP Government has issued a gag order directed at Snap, meaning they have been excluded from press conferences and denied any responses to media enquiries.

(A) recounted that the issues started when Snap Media questioned the appointment of the Chief Administrator and has since received the cold shoulder by the NTG’s media departments. The reason given, according to (A), is that Snap Media are not considered journalists and have instead been labelled activists. This has resulted in reduced access to the same information that other media has been afforded.

“Most people who know me know that I’ve been working as a photo journalist in the NT for the last 6 years... I’ve never hidden what my politics are and I definitely don’t hide away from the fact that equality in our society should not be a left or right issue.”

(A) pointed to the various difficulties that journalists face in covering news stories across the NT and explained that Snap Media started as a place to be able to capture the stories that legacy media weren’t able to. “By kiboshing that, we take away scrutiny of the Government, we take away the ability to hold powerful to account, and we take away the public’s interest.”

Snap Media will continue to forge ahead with writing articles and scrutinising NT politics, but (A) now has “serious concerns” about the public’s right to know and how NT media will respond to a government that is handpicking who it will speak to.

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Barkly Regional Council CEO Peter Harder joined 8CCC's Brian Coleman to find out what's been of news this month. Find out more about rubbish collection and animal ownership, as well as solar for the Youth Centre and the interim measures while the Mayor is on paternity leave. Peter also answered a few of the community member's questions.

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Centralian Today and Tennant Creek Today have been with us now for three years - and it just keeps getting better! Natalie Woods, Key Accounts Manager and journalist Gladys Baretta came on the Brekky Show to announce that from September the papers would be free both in print and online and available in more venues across our towns.

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With a week to go until Desert Mob 2026, Co-curators Hettie Perkins and Aspen Beattie, visited 8CCC Brekky Show to speak about the program. This year Desart is proud to join in partnership with the Central Land Council to present the fourth edition of the nationally renowned Vincent Lingiari Art Award (VLAA), with the award being announced on 10 September and the CLC Delegates’ Choice Award will be announced and presented to the winning artists by special guests, Lingiari family representatives, Rosie Smiler and Trisha Smiler, and CLC Chair, Warren Williams..

Taking over the Araluen Arts Precinct on Thursday evening, the galleries are open for a preview of the 35th edition of Desert Mob and the Vincent Lingiari Art Award exhibitions – and the exclusive opportunity to acquire works from both exhibitions before they go live online Friday morning - with food and refreshments available throughout the night. 

The artists' talks begin Friday, there's workshops and the market opens Saturday morning. The exhibitions and satellite events continue through until mid October. Check out the full program!

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