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Katie Woolf spoke with Senator for the Northern Territory Malarndirri McCarthy · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Three sixty with Katie wolf On mixed one oh four
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: point nine thanks to Joyce Main Darwin. We know that
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  Speaker 1: the budget is being handed down tonight and there is
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  Speaker 1: indeed a significant spend when it comes to infrastructure. We
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  Speaker 1: spoke about that yesterday to the Deputy Prime Minister. Now
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  Speaker 1: joining us on the line is the Senator for the
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  Speaker 1: Northern Territory, Melandarry McCarthy.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning, Good morning Katie, and good morning to you.
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  Speaker 1: Listen now, Senator, we know the federal budget is going
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  Speaker 1: to be big spending tonight when it's handed down. Well,
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  Speaker 1: if the announcements which have so far been made or
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  Speaker 1: anything to go by, what are you hoping to see
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  Speaker 1: for the Northern Territory.
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  Speaker 3: Well, I'd certainly like to see a very real commitment, Katie,
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  Speaker 3: which means money hitting the ground. We've seen over the
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  Speaker 3: last couple of budgets that the Prime Minister and the Treasurer.
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  Speaker 2: Very much speak loudly around how much money they want
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  Speaker 2: to spend. That we see an underspend in these budgets
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  Speaker 2: and I think that's the real concern. We still need
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  Speaker 2: to see where they've spent money was seen an underspent
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  Speaker 2: of almost one point seven billion across Australia in recent budgets,
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  Speaker 2: so it's sort of around infrastructure, so we need to
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  Speaker 2: see just how genuine these announcements will be in terms
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  Speaker 2: of hitting the ground as son as possible.
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  Speaker 1: And Senator yesterday we spoke about Kakadoo and some of
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  Speaker 1: the ongoing concerns out there. Glenn Heinley, the general manager
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  Speaker 1: of Tourism top End, spoke to us yesterday. Take a
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  Speaker 1: listen to what he had to say.
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  Speaker 4: The big focus for us here is how much operational
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  Speaker 4: funding will come out in the upcoming federal budget, because
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  Speaker 4: I think that's the key to it all here, whether
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  Speaker 4: that's invasive weeds, feral animals, more facilities for locals within Kakadoo,
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  Speaker 4: more visitor facilities, being able to maintain.
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  Speaker 2: Those facilities, that's the key to it.
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  Speaker 4: It's all well and good to announce new thems, but
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  Speaker 4: the operational funding to take care of it. You'll be
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  Speaker 4: able to have the boots on the ground to be
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  Speaker 4: able to employ locals in doing which the park desperately
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  Speaker 4: needs to be maintained. So our focus there looking forward
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  Speaker 4: is we're really hopeful, albeit we're not overly optimistic, that
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  Speaker 4: we'll see a good solid operating budget given to Kagadoo,
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  Speaker 4: a place that's just under a third size of Tasmania,
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  Speaker 4: operates on thirteen million dollars a year. It doesn't go
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  Speaker 4: anywhere near enough to being able to take care of
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  Speaker 4: one of Australia's most wonderful efforts culturally and conservationally.
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  Speaker 1: Sanasor what do you think needs to be happening here
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  Speaker 1: when it comes to Kagadoo.
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  Speaker 2: Well, bloom Hinley's correct, Katie. He raised this very concern
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  Speaker 2: with myself and Milton Dick MP, and also with Luke
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  Speaker 2: Gosling just recently at a round table in relation to tourism.
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  Speaker 2: What we need to see with Kagadhu is not only
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  Speaker 2: the Prime Minister racing me to pledge two hundred and
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  Speaker 2: sixteen to reach vitalize the national park. We have to
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  Speaker 2: see it actually hit the ground. But on top of
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  Speaker 2: the two sixteen, as Glenna's rightly pointed out, there has
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  Speaker 2: to be just the ongoing day to day care in
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  Speaker 2: terms of the upkeep of the park and we have
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  Speaker 2: to see that come out in this budget.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I was going to say, because I thought there
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  Speaker 1: was actually money announced last budget for Kakado, but I
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  Speaker 1: can't quite wrap my head around what's going on, and
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  Speaker 1: you know why we continue to sort of be in
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  Speaker 1: this situation where the infrastructure doesn't seem to be there
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  Speaker 1: to support what is meant to be the jewel in
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  Speaker 1: our crown.
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  Speaker 2: It's interesting that you say you can't wrap your head
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  Speaker 2: around at KD. I think it's a bit of a syndrome,
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  Speaker 2: not for you, but certainly with the federal government announcing
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  Speaker 2: and re announcing pledges. It announced the two hundred and
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  Speaker 2: sixteen million in the twenty nineteen election, yet we haven't
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  Speaker 2: seen that hit the ground in the National Park. So
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  Speaker 2: we have to keep the federal government honors to on this.
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  Speaker 2: It cannot keep rennouncing all of these funding announcements and
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  Speaker 2: nothing actually changes. So you spot on too, Katie, that
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  Speaker 2: we're not seeing these things to the ground.
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  Speaker 1: Well, Senator for the Northern Territory Mallandarie McCarthy, we might
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  Speaker 1: touch base again once we hear exactly what is included
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  Speaker 1: in that budget tonight and see how the Northern Territory fees.
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  Speaker 2: No worries, Katie, and happy to talk to you after it.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you, thanks so much for your time this morning.
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  Speaker 1: That is the Senator for the Northern Territory. There Mellanderie
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  Speaker 1: McCarthy