Thursday, 24 December, 2020 WEATHER PAGE 22 TV GUIDE PAGES 25-28 PUZZLES PAGES 24, 49 CLASSIFIEDS PAGES 52-54 borderwatch.com.au | $3.00 Blue Lake Workshop has global impact land lease MOLLY TAYLOR unresolved [email protected] MOLLY TAYLOR KEY components of a complex multi- million dollar engineering project for one [email protected] of the world’s largest aluminum smelters MOUNT Gambier City Council hopes to have been built on Mount Gambier’s out- fast-track a resolution for a historic lease skirts. on Crown land bordering the Blue Lake, Several vital parts of a 16-metre high which forced the closure of the Blue dust collector have been designed and Lake Welcome Centre. manufactured at Nederman MikroPul’s Elected members voted to contact Worrolong production facility, ready for several key politicians and stakeholders shipping to Aluminum Bahrain - the in an effort to resolve the tenure, with world’s largest aluminum smelter outside one senior councillors labelling the han- of China. dling of the process “disgusting”. STORY PAGE 4 A 21-year head licence between SA Water and council expires on Decem- ber 31 with a new agreement yet to be reached. Meanwhile, an Upper House MP claims what the government is doing will provide “more security than that”. The vacant welcome centre will have tourism-focused artwork displayed in its windows advertising attractions in the area, with pop-up visitor informa- tion sites and mobile catering among ON TRACK: Nederman MikroPul Australian engineering manager Jon Franklin and Mount Gambier workshop foreman Bob Green check the other methods explored to service blueprint plans for a $2m dust collector being built in the Limestone Coast for one of the largest aluminum smelters in the world. tourists over summer. Picture: MOLLY TAYLOR STORY PAGE 2 Airline dogfight RAQUEL MUSTILLO levelled at its rival Qantas, but says it is tasked cluding Mount Gambier - last week. ditional excess capacity to eliminate weaker with protecting the competitive process rather regional competitors”. [email protected] While QantasLink chief executive John than individual competitors. Gissing said the expansion will provide resi- Rex has called for Federal Government in- AUSTRALIA’S consumer watchdog says it The national carrier announced an expan- dents with more choice and competitive fares, tervention to boost the powers of the ACCC. is aware of Regional Express (Rex) airlines’ sion of its regional network with the addition Rex has described the move as a “strategy of allegations of “anti-competitive” behaviour of new routes and two new destinations - in- flooding the regional airline market with ad- STORY PAGE 5 All-new Hyundai PALISADE. 8 Seat SUV Coming Soon 12476587-SG53-20 ABN Holders – see if you can claim under the $150k Instant Asset Write Off.^ (8) HYUnDRI Barry Maney Hyundai | Crouch Street North, Mount Gambier 08 8721 3400 | Paul Clark 0407 972 194 |. Jamie Spadotto 0405 976 546 2 NEWS Thursday, 24 December, 2020 BORDERWATCH.COM.AU Blue Lake land tenure tussle MOLLY TAYLOR “What the government is now doing is particularly through the peak tourism sea- providing more security than that.” son,” Ms Cernovskis said. [email protected] The Turners also operate the popular “What it would be doing is encouraging MOUNT Gambier City Council hopes to tourism business Aquifer Tours, which still the diversion of food and beverage to close fast-track a resolution for a historic lease has a sub-license to continue operating proximity brick and mortar sites and what- on Crown land bordering the Blue Lake, pumping station tours until June 2022. ever that site might be, as well as accom- which forced the closure of the Blue Lake During last week’s council meeting, modation to be able to stay. Welcome Centre. Mount Gambier Mayor Lynette Martin said “We will also be increasing the frequen- Elected members voted to contact sev- an application to extend joint custodian- cy of some of our mobile food and beverage eral key politicians and stakeholders in an ship of the land had been submitted. providers around all our sites that we have effort to resolve the tenure, with one senior “At time of writing this report, confirma- so our tourists will be well serviced.” councillors labelling the handling of the tion had not yet been received from Crown An SA Water spokesperson said the process “disgusting”. lands on stages of the co-custody applica- council was leading the joint custodian- AQUIFER TOURS: Aquifer Tours owners Trish tion, however it is understood documenta- ship application and it was not involved at Long-term Blue Lake Welcome Centre and Garry ceased management of the Blue tenants Garry and Trish Turner were forced tion is being prepared for presentation and this stage. further consideration,” Ms Martin said. Lake Welcome Centre after Mount Gambier to close the shopfront after council notified City Council did not renew the building lease. “Through an historical arrangement, we them a new lease could not be granted due Councillor Steve Perryman suggested licence a section of Crown Land in our care to the local government body having no council contacted department heads in for Mount Gambier Troy Bell. to the City of Mount Gambier to house the valid tenure over the land. an effort to speed up the procedure, which Blue Lake Welcome Centre,” a spokesper- Cr Max Bruins asked what would be was supported by elected members. son said. A 21-year head licence between SA Wa- done by council to ensure activation of the ter and council expires on December 31 “Perhaps, what it might be time for is, Blue Lake area during the upcoming peak “As this licence recently expired, we are with a new agreement yet to be reached. for council as an organisation on a political working with council and Crown Lands on holiday period. However, South Australian Upper House level, to write to a few people,” Mr Perry- a new licence arrangement for the longer Acting chief executive Barbara Cernovs- representative John Darley contacted The man said. term. kis said artwork was being designed to dis- Border Watch last week and said the De- “This is an important tourism asset, “With a shared interest in the Blue Lake partment of Environment and Water had it would have been ideal if it was a more play on the windows of the kiosk building, area, we will work together with Crown notified council it would provide more seamless process and not the one with the which advertised the Crater Lake precinct Lands, council and the local community to security over the land than what already gaps which we are looking at,” he said. walking trails and displayed a QR code enable a contemporary visitor experience existed and stated the current reasoning Councillor Sonya Mezinec said the way which linked directly to council’s live chat that champions and adds value to the local for not extending the sub-license business the situation had been handled was “dis- function. area, capitalising on its natural beauty, cul- lease was not valid. gusting” and supported council contacting “We also have an increasingly changing tural heritage and important operational “They (elected members) may have relevant bodies directly. pop-up model with the visitor information role in water supply.” wished to cancel the lease for some other Council resolved to write to Premier Ste- servicing so there will be some pop-ups Speaking this week, the Turners re- reason, but they can not use land tenure as ven Marshall, as well as the ministers for which will be available for three to four- mained “in the dark” and disappointed but a reason because that is not true,” Mr Dar- tourism, Crown Land, environment and and-a-half hours, serving not just the Blue thanked the community for its overwhelm- ley said. water, the Attorney General and Member Lake area but all around high profile sites, ing support. WELCOME: The Blue Lake Welcome Centre is now closed to the public until further notice. MERRY from our OTR family to yours Open 24/7 throughout the summer and public holidays Mount Gambier East | Cnr Jubilee Hwy & Ramsay Ave 12474349-SN53-20 2 CONTACT US [email protected] NEWS 3 ‘No tolerance’ RAQUEL MUSTILLO region, which revealed almost 30pc had tried alcohol by 13 years. [email protected] Of the respondents, 29.5pc reported being WITH Christmas one sleep away, the region’s drunk in their lifetime, with 11.5pc reporting peak alcohol and drug misuse advocacy group being drunk during the last month. are urging parents and other adults to adopt a Substance Misuse Limestone Coast board zero-tolerance approach to underage drinking. member Michael Schultz said while serving As increased police patrols and designated or purchasing alcohol for a minor was illegal, driver campaigns and help make our com- a number of parents still had permissive atti- munity safer during the holiday season, Sub- tudes to underage alcohol use. stance Misuse Limestone Coast believe under- “If we want to know why it is happening, we age drinking is one danger often overlooked have to have a look at the mirror,” he said. and dismissed during the festive period “We are happy to just accept that it hap- The group say parents are the solution to pens and that needs to change, because to me, the underage drinking problem and is encour- we are not sending a good enough message to aging adults to ensure no child is participating society. in alcohol use. “Pressure needs to be not only put on kids but also parents, who allow this to happen.