Darwin is unique among Australia’s capital cities, it is the smallest, northernmost, wettest and warmest of them all and one of its biggest fans is the city’s Greek-born Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis who will be putting himself up for re-election in August.
“Many people realise living in big cities has its advantages until things go wrong,” Cr Vatskalis told Neos Kosmos. One of the things that has gone wrong over the past year has, of course, been the COVID-19 pandemic, which Darwin has so far managed to handle with better results than in the south-eastern end of the nation.
“The Northern Territory is a different planet to the rest of Australia. Our environment, our open spaces and natural beauty are still untouched. Out of Darwin there is lots of open space. I like the colours (of the sky and landscape). You soon leave the bright lights of the city and you can see the Milky Way,” Cr Vatskalis said.
These are qualities that drew him in when he came from Perth on two-year stint to manage Darwin Environmental Health Unit in 1993. He never returned and instead made a life for himself in the Top End.
It is something that over the past year has drawn many fleeing lockdowns and economic uncertainties in the Eastern Seaboard.
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“We are not as densely populated as other big cities, there is lots of space between houses. Up until recently, we had a glut of housing units but house prices have gone up 27 percent. All of a sudden people (out of state) are buying houses they have only seen on the internet.”
The city is also experiencing a rise in tourism with many Australians who under normal circumstances would go to Bali, Singapore and Thailand, have found something different in Darwin. There are over 120 nationalities represented in Darwin’s population of 147,000.
“People are surprised by Darwin. There are a lot of road travellers in the city,” Cr Vatskalis said.
The city’s Greek community numbers 12,000, and was well represented in the city.
“Many originally came as builders but now there are many Greek doctors, lawyers and other professionals,” said Cr Vatskalis who is the first Greek in Darwin’s history to be elected as the city’s Lord Mayor.
Cr Vatskalis, whose family hails from Kefolochori in the Mastorochoria near Konitsa, was born in Cephalonia in 1957. His father, a builder, was working on the island following the great earthquake of 1953.
He studied environmental health in Athens and was involved in the pro-democracy student protests of the 1970s.
He met Linda Cotton, an Australian, in London and they married in 1982. The following year the couple migrated to Western Australia. Cr Vatskalis studied again for an environmental health degree at Curtin University. He also joined the Labor Party. After graduating in 1985, he worked in Port Headland and Wanneroo. His wife died in 1988. He was to marry Margaret who is of Chinese descent. They have three adult sons Alexander, Michael and Kevin.
In 1993, he took charge of the Darwin Environmental Health Unit and never looked back. He was soon involved in the city’s community. He hosted a Greek community radio show in the city as well as a contributing to nationally on SBS Radio.
From 1994 to 2001, he served as a reservist on the Royal Australia Air Force rising to rank of flight lieutenant.
“I learned very good management skills, discipline, see the overall picture and make quick decision – very good skills to have in pandemic times,” he said of his time with RAAF.
In 1999 he left public service to work as the clinic manager for, Danila Dilba the Indigenous Medical Service. That changed when, in 2001 he was elected on to the territory’ legislature representing Casuarina, until then a safe Liberal seat.
“It was a multi-skilling shift to politics. I enjoy doing many different things. In life you have to have a broad knowledge,” he said. Chief Minister Clare Martin selected him as her Minister for Lands, Planning and Environment, Housing, Local Government and Ethnic Affairs.
His various portfolios prove what a multi-tasker he is and were to include Business and Economic Development; Regional Development; Defence Support; Sport and Recreation; Essential Services; Health, Mines and Energy; Primary Industries and Fisheries; and Children and Families.
During his time in government, he won three elections until he stepped down in August 2014.
With such wide experience it was little surprise that Cr Vatskalis turned he attention to local government and in 2017 was elected to serve as Lord Mayor of the city.
“The role of the Lord Mayor is like chairing a board of directors. You offer leadership, work with the communities and carry out ceremonial functions,” said Cr Vatskalis.
When he assumed in 2017, $27 million was allocated to capital works in the city for that year. This year $100 million was allocated from the city coffers. The COVID emergency played a role in the increase in spending.
“About $70 million was allocated for capital works for local contractors to ensure the industry was in good shape until the recovery. We offered incentives to property owners to reduce rents in exchange for reductions in rates,” he said.
The city also introduced the My Darwin Voucher was introduced to support spending among local retailers and hospitality outlets.
Another initiative was to help those who did not qualify for the Job Keeper allowances by creating the Green Army which offered its recruits a proper wage for work around the city.
“They cleaned out the city’s parks, worked on footpaths and driveways. We created tropical forest at the entrance to the city.”
During his tenure Cr Vatskalis said 16,000 trees had been planted in Darwin. Exercise stations had been installed and sports facilities improved.
“There are 200 parks in Darwin – it is a beautiful, green spread-out city,” Cr Vatskalis said.
