Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Member for Barkly Steven Edgington is pushing for a review into how Federal funds are being spent in the bush

Transcript

Member for Barkly Steven Edgington is pushing for a review into how Federal funds are being spent in the bush · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Well, as we know, alcohol legislation passed overnight. And joining
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  Speaker 1: me on the line is the colp's member for Barkley,
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: Steve Edgington. Good morning to you, Steve.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie, and good morning to all the listeners.
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  Speaker 1: Now, Steve, that legislation passed, as we all know overnight.
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  Speaker 1: What difference do you think it's going to mean for
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  Speaker 1: the Barkley region.
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  Speaker 2: Well, in reality, what it means is that places like Elliott, Bora, Lula,
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  Speaker 2: they have town camps there. There's a number of smaller
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  Speaker 2: outstations as well which will revert back to being dry area,
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  Speaker 2: so to speak. So really, what this legislation has done
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  Speaker 2: is set the territory, and particularly in the Berkley, set
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  Speaker 2: us back around about five years because the measures that
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  Speaker 2: come into play now under this new legislation should have
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  Speaker 2: been put in place a long time ago. The Riley
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  Speaker 2: Report clearly outlined a pathway forward which the Labor didn't.
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  Speaker 2: Labor Party never followed.
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  Speaker 1: Steve can I ask we spoke to the Mountain Ima
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  Speaker 1: last week who'd said that hundreds of people have flocked
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  Speaker 1: to town since the end of January, predominantly seeking grong.
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  Speaker 1: How are things on that front in Tenant. I know
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  Speaker 1: that you guys do have further restrictions in place, but
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  Speaker 1: has there been much of a change from your perspective.
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  Speaker 2: Well, if you look over the years, you know, we
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  Speaker 2: go back to twenty eighteen when emergency restrictions were put
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  Speaker 2: in place by the Minister at the time, and that
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  Speaker 2: was an inquiry held by the Liquor Commission and those
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  Speaker 2: restrictions were put in place. But over the last four years,
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  Speaker 2: what we have seen is a continuing high level of crime.
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  Speaker 2: But at the same time we've also seen heavy drinkers.
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  Speaker 2: We know, and I've heard that there are many people
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  Speaker 2: from the Berkley that have moved to Mount Aser over
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  Speaker 2: the last few years.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, look, I think you know, there's no doubt that
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  Speaker 1: everybody's sort of wondering what is going to happen over
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  Speaker 1: the coming months, But you know, there does seem to
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  Speaker 1: be a sense that certainly these restrictions were need. So
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  Speaker 1: it is a good thing that, you know, despite making
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  Speaker 1: sure that those concerns were raised in Parliament overnight and
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  Speaker 1: late yesterday, that the legislation has passed. Steve, I know
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  Speaker 1: that you also you gave notice yesterday in Parliament of
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  Speaker 1: I believe moving a motion to introduce a Select Committee
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  Speaker 1: into spending of federal funds in the Bush. Why did
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  Speaker 1: you make this move?
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  Speaker 2: Well, Katie, yes, I'll be moving that motion this morning.
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  Speaker 2: But you know, with the latest alcohol restrictions and we
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  Speaker 2: know that there's over a billion dollars it comes into
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  Speaker 2: Central Australia in the Barkley every year. What we want
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  Speaker 2: to find out is exactly where that money is going.
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  Speaker 2: We did write to the Prime Minister back on the
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  Speaker 2: first of February and we haven't had a response from
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  Speaker 2: the Prime Minister. So we need to keep pressing ahead
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  Speaker 2: with this and today I'll be moving that motion.
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  Speaker 1: Steve, how likely are you do you think to get
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  Speaker 1: any kind of support, like bipartisan support on this. Do
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  Speaker 1: you think it's actually going to happen? I mean, I
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  Speaker 1: think it's a really important thing to make sure that
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  Speaker 1: that money is going into the right places and that
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  Speaker 1: it is being invested where it's supposed to be.
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  Speaker 2: Well, it certainly should be. And if we look at
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  Speaker 2: just over the last six years, Katie, there's been we're
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  Speaker 2: still experiencing high crime rates, in prison rates are high,
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  Speaker 2: there's still health issues, education, and there's still massive levels
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  Speaker 2: of unemployment. And alcohol issues. We need to get to
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  Speaker 2: the bottom of where this money is going, but we
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  Speaker 2: need to make sure that it's going to where it's
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  Speaker 2: needed most. So I would hope that Labor would support
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  Speaker 2: this motion today because this is important for the Northern
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  Speaker 2: Territory as a whole. If we want to move forward
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  Speaker 2: over the next two, five or ten years, we need
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  Speaker 2: to make sure that every dollar that's coming to the
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  Speaker 2: territory is being used in an effective and efficient way
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  Speaker 2: and making a difference for people right across the territory.
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  Speaker 1: Steve, how exactly would it work?
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  Speaker 2: Well, what we would do is a select committee would
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  Speaker 2: be formed. There'd be under the normal rules, there'd be
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  Speaker 2: three government members, to opposition members and an independent member.
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  Speaker 2: What we'd do is, through that select committee, examine what
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  Speaker 2: programs are being funded and determine how much money is
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  Speaker 2: going into those programs. But the important part is to
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  Speaker 2: identify whether those programs are actually benefiting Aboriginal territories, particularly
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  Speaker 2: in remote areas, and is that money sufficient or should
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  Speaker 2: that money be used for other programs. These are important
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  Speaker 2: issues that we need to get to the bottom of it.
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  Speaker 1: Look, I think it's I do actually think that this
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  Speaker 1: is something that needs to happen. I do think that
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  Speaker 1: we've got to make sure when we've got such an
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  Speaker 1: enormous amount of taxpayers money being invested out into the Bush,
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  Speaker 1: that that money is being invested in a way that's
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  Speaker 1: improving the lives of territorians. And to me it seems
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  Speaker 1: like a really important thing to do. But how soon
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  Speaker 1: are we going to know whether this does indeed get
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  Speaker 1: across the line or not?
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  Speaker 2: Steve, Well, we should know first thing this morning, Cody.
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  Speaker 2: You know where Parliament starts at ten o'clock. Hopefully I'll
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  Speaker 2: be first this morning to move that motion, so you know,
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  Speaker 2: by the time I get through the motion and hopefully
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  Speaker 2: through my speech, we should have some idea very soon
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  Speaker 2: whether the Government will support this important work that this
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  Speaker 2: committee needs to do well.
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  Speaker 1: We will, no doubt here a little bit more throughout
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  Speaker 1: the morning. It sounds like you've got a very busy
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  Speaker 1: morning ahead of you, Steve Edgington, thanks so much for
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  Speaker 1: having a quick chat with us.
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  Speaker 2: Good on you, Thank you, Katie and all the best
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  Speaker 2: of all your listeners.
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  Speaker 1: Thanks mate,