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Katie Woolf spoke with TWUSANT Transport Workers Union SA & NT Branch Secretary Ian Smith · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Three sixty with Katie Wolf. Join the conversation with Katie Wolf.
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: You are our eyes and ears in the Territory Mixed
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: one oh four point nine.
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  Speaker 2: We have been talking all throughout the week about some
• 0:11
  Speaker 2: of the changes that have come into play out at
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  Speaker 2: the Howard Springs Quarantine facility and we've been talking about
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  Speaker 2: the testing regime changes and that has really been the
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  Speaker 2: focus of a lot of the discussion throughout the week. However,
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  Speaker 2: it seems it's not the only change that has come
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  Speaker 2: in to play out at the facility. And joining us
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  Speaker 2: on the line to talk further is the Transport Workers
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  Speaker 2: Union South Australia and Northern Territory Branch Secretary Ian Smith.
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  Speaker 1: Good morning to you, Ian.
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  Speaker 3: Good morning here.
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  Speaker 1: Are you going not too bad now?
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  Speaker 3: Ian?
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  Speaker 2: I understand that there's some changes that have come in
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  Speaker 2: to play well as the OSMAT team have phased out
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  Speaker 2: of Howard Springs and nt Health have taken over, changes
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  Speaker 2: which have impact our impacted our bus drivers.
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  Speaker 1: Talk us through them.
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  Speaker 3: Well, A one of those changes, I think it was
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  Speaker 3: going to be changes credit to credit to the bus
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  Speaker 3: drivers and the companies involved in that process is as
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  Speaker 3: soon as they were made of where that things aren't
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  Speaker 3: quite say. The drivers said, well, we're not going in
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  Speaker 3: until we have the same PPE, and it took her
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  Speaker 3: an hour or so to get that, but they got
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  Speaker 3: the PPE and they completed the job in a safe
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  Speaker 3: and secure manner. And I've got to take my hat
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  Speaker 3: off to what's happened in the territory as far as
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  Speaker 3: how its wings go. The territory is involved with that
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  Speaker 3: have done an excellent job because they haven't had any
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  Speaker 3: of the dramas a lot of the other capital cities
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  Speaker 3: have had with the quarantine. So look, we have been
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  Speaker 3: on the front foot and our members have been on
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  Speaker 3: the front foot from the very beginning of the pandemic
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  Speaker 3: and the Haward Springs example of what's been going on
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  Speaker 3: and involved we had that number one. We wanted to
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  Speaker 3: make sure the drivers from day one had the correct PPE.
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: So what happened, what happened on the weekend with that,
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  Speaker 2: that resumption of the flights from India.
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  Speaker 3: And my understanding is that when I think that the
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  Speaker 3: buses compans that were doing were booked as to normal
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  Speaker 3: and they've turned the drivers have turned up and what's
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  Speaker 3: been going on. They get to the site and they'd
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  Speaker 3: they'd be supplied the PPE, look to where and then
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  Speaker 3: they complete the job and they do whatever they had
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  Speaker 3: to the buses. The buses had to be stared at,
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  Speaker 3: serialized and everything before they got put back into service,
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  Speaker 3: which is always been done when they've turned up. I
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  Speaker 3: think it was a Saturday. The PPE they was supplied
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  Speaker 3: wasn't for the standard that they considered to be an
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  Speaker 3: acceptable level, and so they all from all I'm getting told,
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  Speaker 3: they refused to continue on until they had that and
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  Speaker 3: it took about an hour or so. But the parties
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  Speaker 3: that are now looking after, which is something BID and
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  Speaker 3: T government came back with the correct PPE and the
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  Speaker 3: job was completed. So what the the biggest concern is
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  Speaker 3: probably for me is the fact that I see that
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  Speaker 3: OSNA obviously haven't communicated the right information to the NT
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  Speaker 3: government people so that they could make sure the right
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  Speaker 3: people that he is there and it was fixed up.
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  Speaker 3: But it's probably a matter that probably shouldn't happen, and
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  Speaker 3: you've probably got to put that solely in the responsibility
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  Speaker 3: of os MATT that they didn't pass on the right information.
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  Speaker 2: So you're saying that it wasn't a situation where we're
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  Speaker 2: into health had had done the wrong thing. You actually
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  Speaker 2: think that the OSMAT team hadn't passed on the information
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  Speaker 2: that they should have.
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  Speaker 3: Well, if they were passed the information and what was
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  Speaker 3: so quiet peopre, you would have thought that NT health
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  Speaker 3: would have had it. And you know, we got You've
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  Speaker 3: got great people working in that system, especially as so
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  Speaker 3: as our drivers a good because when they've got to
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  Speaker 3: the site, they realized that what they've been supplied wasn't
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  Speaker 3: going to be satisfactory and they weren't going to be safe,
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  Speaker 3: and they were going to put themselves at riskers And
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  Speaker 3: well it was int NT general Public and made to
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  Speaker 3: the right decision, No, we're not going ahead until we
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  Speaker 3: get this, and they got that. It took a while.
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  Speaker 3: So why The only one way I can see it
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  Speaker 3: is obviously OZMAT didn't tell the NT Health exactly what
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  Speaker 3: they needed to have for the masts.
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  Speaker 2: Well, I guess the other option though, is that that
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  Speaker 2: NT health were utilizing the PPE that they thought was appropriate,
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  Speaker 2: which may not be to the same standard as what
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  Speaker 2: the OZMAT team thought was.
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  Speaker 3: Well, absolutely it could be. I suppose you can look
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  Speaker 3: at that way. It could be health a breakdown. Think
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  Speaker 3: you would think those departments should talk together.
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  Speaker 2: Well, yeah, and I mean fundamentally, what we've got to
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  Speaker 2: make sure of is that all of our staff out
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  Speaker 2: there are as safe as possible. But also, you know,
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  Speaker 2: particularly like what you said when you're talking about our
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  Speaker 2: bus drivers who are then transporting you know, in some
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  Speaker 2: cases those passengers from flights that have arrived from India,
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  Speaker 2: which is in such an incredibly difficult situation at the moment,
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  Speaker 2: We've want to make sure they're safe no matter what.
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  Speaker 3: Absolutely, And you know, look, the NT should be proud
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  Speaker 3: of the bus drivers that have been doing that job,
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  Speaker 3: because what I'm led to believe and through my official
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  Speaker 3: up there and misinformation, is that they were the ones
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  Speaker 3: that quickly spoke up and said this is insufficient, we
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  Speaker 3: need this, this and this, and they weren't going to
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  Speaker 3: capture Seed any further until I got it. And that
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  Speaker 3: was that that happened, and the job is completed, all
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  Speaker 3: all of it later une faithfully, and that's all we've
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  Speaker 3: got to maintain. You go, what the territory has done,
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  Speaker 3: and it's very clear from my eyes coming from Adelaide
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  Speaker 3: and we've had our dramas in the hotel quarantine, is
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  Speaker 3: he's done a wonderful job. Of making sure that the
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  Speaker 3: refatuated people that are bringing us into Australia into Australia
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  Speaker 3: are safe and that we don't get this hight virus. Yeah,
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  Speaker 3: out of control. So we've got to be proud about that.
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  Speaker 3: And there's the obviously there's a breakdown and communication between
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  Speaker 3: two government departments, which is concerned because it's one mistake
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  Speaker 3: and we're in trouble and we certainly don't want that
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  Speaker 3: to happen. So it's, as I said to me, to
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  Speaker 3: put it to the people involved that they spoke up
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  Speaker 3: and make sure things are happened correctly. And you would
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  Speaker 3: think that you would hope that would be happening for
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  Speaker 3: everybody involved at howards.
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  Speaker 1: With yeah, well we can only hope.
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  Speaker 2: Ian are the concerns from our bus drivers with the
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  Speaker 2: changing in the testing regime or anything like that At
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  Speaker 2: this point.
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  Speaker 3: That hasn't been raised, but it's probably a concern anyway,
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  Speaker 3: but there's probably expert advice. You would hope it says,
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  Speaker 3: but that they need to be tested when they need
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  Speaker 3: to be tested. And what I heard today from my
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  Speaker 3: official was that they were more most people were satisfied.
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  Speaker 3: What was I think to my understanding, they were all
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  Speaker 3: getting tested a minimum after each trip to make sure
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  Speaker 3: that the vill they hadn't been transported any vice. But
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  Speaker 3: if they were the correct pape and it's done the
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  Speaker 3: proper way.
• 7:03
  Speaker 2: We're just having some issues there with your audio at
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  Speaker 2: the moment. Ian hopefully you can hear me again.
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  Speaker 3: Now okay, now, yeah.
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  Speaker 1: So sorry.
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  Speaker 2: Did you say that they're being tested a minimum of
• 7:13
  Speaker 2: two days after they're transporting those people that are arriving.
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  Speaker 3: That's what was That's what I was sad to believe
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  Speaker 3: today that that's one of the best companies said that
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  Speaker 3: that's the process that they're going down, so that way
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  Speaker 3: we know what's happening. But as I said, if they're
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  Speaker 3: wearing the correct ppe, which they are, the chances of
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  Speaker 3: the virus being transmitted to become very swim.
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: Is that a worry for you guys?
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  Speaker 2: Would you prefer that they're being tested sort of immediately
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  Speaker 2: and getting a result fairly quickly, and then again a
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  Speaker 2: couple of days later.
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  Speaker 3: I don't know, unless they got the virus at that time.
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  Speaker 3: I think two days after is probably reasonably expected. If
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  Speaker 3: they're going to pick it up. This when you're going
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  Speaker 3: to know, you're not going to know at the day,
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  Speaker 3: So you would hope those those guys and gals that
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  Speaker 3: are actually involved in that traces are making sure they
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  Speaker 3: can't be tested, and you will hope that they all
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  Speaker 3: have been vaccinated as well.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, absolutely, I guess the only concern. You know,
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  Speaker 2: some people listening might right now might be thinking, but
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  Speaker 2: then they would also be out in the community for
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  Speaker 2: those two days.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, well they would be that. I mean, I'm not sure,
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  Speaker 3: and that's why it's so important that we have the
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  Speaker 3: correct PPE. And that's why what I'm saying that that
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  Speaker 3: those people involved and the India pick up on Saturday,
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  Speaker 3: I think it was made sure that they had the
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  Speaker 3: correct PPE and they stood up for their right for
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  Speaker 3: their rights. Good on it. They had it, and they
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  Speaker 3: didn't do the job. And I to give them credit
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  Speaker 3: and they also give credits into your health the fact
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  Speaker 3: that they listened to them and got the right there.
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  Speaker 3: They took some time to get it, but they got
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  Speaker 3: the right stuff. Yeah, I think that is why I
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  Speaker 3: wonder why they didn't have it in the first place.
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  Speaker 2: Well, I wondered the same thing, and I know that
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  Speaker 2: you know what you're thinking is that the ozmat team
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  Speaker 2: should have communicated it I guess from the other side
• 9:02
  Speaker 2: of things, you know, my concern is, given the fact
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  Speaker 2: that there's been a number of changes out there since
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  Speaker 2: the NT Health Department have taken over, and that those
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  Speaker 2: changes have been based around what they deem as the
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  Speaker 2: gold standard, I'd actually say that my concern is that
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  Speaker 2: it's the other way around.
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  Speaker 3: Well, you could probably quite be right there, and we're
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  Speaker 3: probably lucky that we've got good people. Yeah, well, from
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  Speaker 3: my perspective working out there that are making sure that
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  Speaker 3: those standards are healed high and we continue to continue
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  Speaker 3: to make sure the virus if it is getting into Australia,
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  Speaker 3: remains in that facility.
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  Speaker 1: Well, Ian, I really appreciate your time this morning.
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  Speaker 2: Are well done to those drivers, you know, for standing
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  Speaker 2: up and saying that they do need to make sure
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  Speaker 2: that they've got the appropriate ppe.
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  Speaker 1: I think that it's very true.
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  Speaker 2: You know, they're at the front line there, they're transporting
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  Speaker 2: those passengers and they need to ensure that not only
• 9:52
  Speaker 2: they're protected, but that's you know, that then in turn
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  Speaker 2: that they're going to be safe and then when they
• 9:58
  Speaker 2: head out into the community that everybody remains safe.
• 10:01
  Speaker 3: Absolutely, And as I said, it's such credit to the
• 10:06
  Speaker 3: individual drivers that they had the courage to make sure
• 10:09
  Speaker 3: that's happened, and I that that happens, So that gives
• 10:11
  Speaker 3: me confidence that particularly that from our perspective, the bus
• 10:16
  Speaker 3: drivers are doing it and that's how to make sure
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  Speaker 3: that we keep the NT safe.
• 10:20
  Speaker 1: Yeah. Well, and really good to catch up with you
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  Speaker 1: this morning.
• 10:24
  Speaker 2: T WU, Branch Secretary for the Territory Ian Smith, thanks
• 10:28
  Speaker 2: so much for your time.
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: Thank you