Jacqueline Arnold, Administrator for Letters for the Environment Central Australia and Adrian Tomlinson joined Kate on 8CC Big Brekky to talk about the current taboo subject - getting rid of fireworks! Citing that many people may not know the threats from residential fireworks, they shared with listeners the potential harms to wildlife and companion animals and pets, as well as the real danger of sparking fires on the buffel fuel loads that surround Mparntwe. They advocate for everyone to join in the organised Territory Day celebrations at Anzac Oval instead.

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Territory Day celebrations kick off across the NT tomorrow night including at the Barkly Arts Yard in Tennant Creek. The Barkly's annual celebation of fireworks, music and all things that make Territory great features a stacked line-up of local acts, including Eleanor Dixon with her new musical project Eleanor Jawurlngali, a trio featuring cellist Stephanie Arnold and the Dirty Three's Mick Turner. 8CCC's Barkly Radio Coordinator Shauna Upton spoke to Eleanor on the Big Brekky Program ahead of her homecoming show.

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Last Friday, 27 June the NT Music Industry descended on Mparntwe/Alice Springs for the 2025 NT Music Awards. Amongst the many awards for best songs, festivals, photographers and techs, there were a few clear standout winners including Darwin-based punk trio TANG who took out the Peoples' Choice Song of the Year and Best Rock Song of the Year, as well as performing live for an attentive crowd. Drummer and stylist of the band, Alana White, joined us on the Big Brekky Program to relive the exciting night and let us know what's next for TANG.

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Raymond Walters Penangke & Peta-Lee Cole-Manolis from Penangke are running a specialised cultural awareness workshop designed exclusively for managers and leaders working in the disability sector at Desert Knowledge Precinct next Tuesday July 1 from 9am. Delivered by Central Desert Aboriginal facilitators, this interactive session is tailored to enhance organisations’ capacity to provide culturally responsive disability services to Aboriginal people in the Central region. They spoke with 8CCC's Kate Lyons-Dawson more broadly about the work to be done in this area for all organisations and how they also learn from these exchanges.

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Justice Reform Initiative’s national conference was held this week in Mparntwe/Alice Springs where more than 350 advocates for reforming Australia’s crisis-ridden justice system echoed Children’s Commissioners nationwide call for the federal government to intervene. Territory and several state governments have been making ‘tough on crime’ reforms, which advocates say will only increase the cost of the nation’s prison system and result in more young people - particularly indigenous children - leading a life of crime. 

The Initiative’s chairman and former federal Indigenous Affairs minister Robert Tickner said jailing was failing those it was meant to rehabilitate and more investment and leadership from the federal level was critical. Arrernte man and managing director of Kings Narrative Tyson Carmody said while funding was needed, relying on government grants was subject to the whims of politicians and real investment in local, indigenous led solutions were critical. Chief executive the national voice for indigenous children, SNAICC, and local Arrernte-Luritja woman Catherine Liddle said the federal government had largely left action on the Closing the Gap initiatives in justice and child protection to states and territories, which were failing to meet the agreement’s targets.

Pictured: Tyson Carmody

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Big news from Sam Hussey, Curator at Olive Pink Botanic Garden: Buffel Beats is now on Wednesdays at 5pm. Bring your hoola hoops or accessory of choice and join in the fun! 
Calling any plant enthusiasts with social media skills to volunteer at the Gardens or enter the monthly photo competition and see your winning entry in The Centralian Today.

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Take Back the Track is a movement that started in February 2025 to celebrate the love of running and the joy it activates in women and gender-diverse people across the country and to advocate for everyone to be able to exercise in public safely.

Following the attacks on at least two female-identifying running in Mparntwe/Alice Springs over the past fortnight, a number of local running groups have joined forced to hold the second Track Back the Track Mparntwe event of the year tonight, Wednesday 25 June at 5pm.

Co-organiser Morgana Garland-Fernandez joins us on the Big Brekky Program to tell us more about the event's mission and ways you can get involved.

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Last week the Northern Territory Government handed down their budget estimates which saw a number of cuts to previously allocated funding across a range of portfolios, that has the potential to impact on residents of the Barkly Region.

Barkly MLA Steve Edgington, who also holds the portfolios of Health, Mental Health, Alcohol Policy, Aboriginal Affairs, Housing, Local Government and Community Development, and Essential Services, joined Barkly Radio Coordinator Shauna Upton on the Big Brekky Program to discuss how the estimates may impact on education, health and discrimination in the region.

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It's the first week of the school holidays and Alice Springs Cinema is pumping! General Manager, René Sutton chatted with Big Brekky's Kate Lyons-Dawson about what's showing and what to look forward to - including free film Thursdays for the next 3 weeks. This week is Minecraft! Check it all out on their website.

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The Tennant Creek Public Library is hosting a very special ‘Meet the Author’ with Kirsty Nancarrow, former ABC journalist and now debut author of Himalayan Dreams: The Story of Som Tamang – How a child slave moved mountains to save a generation in Nepal. We caught up with Kirsty on the Big Brekky Program ahead of her visit to the Barkly on Monday, 23 June.

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