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Katie Woolf spoke with Chief Minister Michael Gunner · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Let's get into it though, and joining me in the
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: studio right now is the Chief Minister, Michael Gunner. I'm
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: not sure whether that mullet is starting to grow yet.
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: Good morning to your Chief Finister.
• 0:09
  Speaker 2: Morning Katie. The bad news I had over the weekends.
• 0:12
  Speaker 2: It'll take about three months before it is a mullet. Then,
• 0:14
  Speaker 2: obviously the bet doesn't start until I have a mullet.
• 0:17
  Speaker 2: And I've got the five grand, So five grand a month, yeap,
• 0:20
  Speaker 2: So I'll definitely have a mullet for a month.
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: Well. And it is for a very good cause, isn't
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: It's for mental health, so it is well worth the effort.
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: I see though that you've had a bit of interest
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: from some of the leaders from other states and territories,
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: Mark McGowan posting a photo of what I thought was
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: a very impressive mullish if indeed he's able to grow that.
• 0:37
  Speaker 2: He's put up a photo of a mullet and done
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: some sledging, but he hasn't put any dollars in yet,
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: so I've had a crack at him about that. Mate,
• 0:43
  Speaker 2: put your hand in your pocket, got to spuritically and
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: has donated, which is very generous of here. So I
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: thank her for that. I guess the's challenge out there
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: to that the leaders now is either donate or grow one.
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: Well, that's exactly right. I think that's a pretty pretty look.
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: It is a great thing to do, I think for
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  Speaker 1: a good cause. And we know that mental health pticularly
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: when you talk about mental health and young people, but
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  Speaker 1: our blokes as well, it's something that we don't talk
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: often enough about. So I do think that it's a
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: good thing to do.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, Black Dog Institute is who I'm supporting here and
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: you probably correct that. Well, mental health is becoming saying
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: we can talk about easier. It's pppoed still blokes who
• 1:15
  Speaker 2: don't talk about it enough.
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: Yeah, well let's move along because there is so much
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: to cover off on this morning. And as you heard,
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: or as we've all heard, a history making by election
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: on the weekend, Labors Daran Young taking the seat from
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: the COLP. Now Chief Minister, what do you think this
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: victory says for your government?
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: Well, it's historic and it's humbling and I thank them
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: very much for their support. We won't take that for granted.
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: There's a general election in a three years time and
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: Gerana have to keep working very hard to make sure
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: people feel that we are listening to them and acting
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: on them and on their concerns in the Daily electorate.
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: But the same probably goes for the COP This is
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: a rejection of them in the seat of Daily and
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: they held Daily by one hundred voats. If you look
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: at similar seats Barkley Namadura, they hold Barkley by I
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: think five votes, Namadura by twenty votes. We don't take
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: for granted that we can win those seats. It's at
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  Speaker 2: the twenty twenty four election. We work hard for that,
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  Speaker 2: but I think there's now a very strong message to
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: the SALP that they should not take those seats for granted.
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: There was a massive vote turnout in what Air, which
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  Speaker 1: is where mister Young pold really well, and I think
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: you'd agree the seat was literally one. The votes for
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  Speaker 1: Labor were not as strong though in locations like Berry
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: Springs and Cooler Lingo. Why do you think that is
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: we have to.
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: Keep working hard to represent those people in the rural area.
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: Be fair to say, I don't think Labour's done well
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  Speaker 2: at that over the journey over many decades. So it's
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: like we have to keep trying to listen to and
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: respond to concerns in the rural areas. There was a
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  Speaker 2: five set swing to us in Cooling, which I thought
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: was interesting. But having said that, we didn't win the
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: rural area. Very very fair to say that, and you
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: have to acknowledge things like that to be able to
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  Speaker 2: work out, right, what is it that we're doing in
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  Speaker 2: the rural area and how do we keep responding to it.
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  Speaker 2: But obviously the significant increase in both turnout and vote
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  Speaker 2: for us in the remote areas shows those things we're
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: doing around remote housing and roads are translating and we'll
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: keep working harder that we won't take of granted.
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  Speaker 1: Some of the issues that have been raised with us
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  Speaker 1: over such a long period of time out the electrac
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  Speaker 1: of daily have been things like the health clinic at
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  Speaker 1: at Dundee and also the likes of the telecommunications in
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  Speaker 1: the electorate. Are they things that you are going to
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  Speaker 1: focus on and try to fix.
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  Speaker 2: So telecommunications is one we often find difficult. We agree
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  Speaker 2: with people and depending on the location, it's US or
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: more often the Australian government that's working of Telstra. We've
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: put money in to co fund with telt often solutions
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: on telecommunications. It's an extremely difficult one, but one that
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: I agree with. Territory is a huge place and often
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: we have black spots when it comes to comms, and
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: we have to keep chipping away at that.
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  Speaker 3: Fixing it.
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: The wind does give you a little bit more regal room.
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: And let's be honest, we know that you've still got
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: Mark Turner obviously, who holds the seed of Blaine. I mean,
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: is this an opportunity maybe to cut him.
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: Loose, Well, that's a question for the party. Obviously his
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: membership status. We've made it clear as a caucus that
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: we had a loss of trust there and we obviously
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: now welcome drand into our caucus and how we work
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: through that. So we's got to keep working hard for
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: people across in normal territory, whether they vote for us
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: or not. It's critical that you keep doing everything you can.
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: And the biggest issue I think at the moment we've
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: got this all the way through the very diverse letter
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  Speaker 2: of Daily is COVID and that's still very much front
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  Speaker 2: and center.
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  Speaker 1: For you though. I mean, you have obviously got somebody
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: who's part of your team who did the wrong thing.
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: You and I have discussed this on numerous occasions on
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: this very show. Would you like to see him maybe ousted? Now?
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  Speaker 1: Like I said, you do have a bit more wriggle
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: room there.
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  Speaker 2: Well, we've made it clear to the party as an
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  Speaker 2: entire caucus, not just just me as chief, that we
• 4:25
  Speaker 2: felt he there's a lot of trust there for us,
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: and that's something that we've acted on. So we've done
• 4:31
  Speaker 2: the most that we can. Remains a question before the
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  Speaker 2: party itself, But for me, my priority can't be worrying
• 4:37
  Speaker 2: about that. My priority has got to be dealing with COVID.
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: That's the important thing. So I get that these are issues.
• 4:41
  Speaker 2: I'm not saying they're not, But I think people get
• 4:43
  Speaker 2: worried if I ever get distracted from hy sees my
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: day job, which is working on things like COVID.
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  Speaker 1: I guess so for the people that live in that
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  Speaker 1: electric there may be feeling as though, you know, the
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: member for Blaine is not as effective as what he
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: could be, and that maybe somebody else would be able
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  Speaker 1: to do the job better.
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: Well, I think he's still working way in the Elee
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: trip doing what local members do.
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  Speaker 3: It is obviously not in our.
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  Speaker 2: Party room, but he's still chipping away, I think, And
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: it's up to obviously Territorians, they're the ones that get
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: to say on this. So next general election the people
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  Speaker 2: are blaming ge to choose who their local member is
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: and Mark Turnery putting the best case forward for himself
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: that he can all.
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: Right, moving along, we know that on the weekend you
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: publicly endorse the Sambar party which was held off Culum Bay.
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: We now know that a large police contingent was required
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  Speaker 1: to manage what could have been a pretty dangerous situation
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  Speaker 1: when those tides rose. Why did you endorse that?
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  Speaker 3: I think there's two things here.
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  Speaker 2: Can you have the Sandbar party, and then there's how you
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  Speaker 2: manage the exit from the Sandbar party.
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  Speaker 3: With the fact that we're COVID.
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  Speaker 2: Free, we can have parties like this, and it's obviously
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  Speaker 2: no new thing having a party out at the Sandbar.
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  Speaker 3: I think over the journey.
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  Speaker 2: The've rais around one hundred thousand for charity, and I
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  Speaker 2: know one of the organizers has made comment to this effect.
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  Speaker 2: They ended their set an hour and a half early
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  Speaker 2: to allow people the opportunity to exit from the Sandbar.
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  Speaker 2: I completely agree with police that the manner of exit
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  Speaker 2: wasn't great, and I agree with police that was just
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  Speaker 2: stressing to see some marine hell heal marine safety incidents
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  Speaker 2: always could be mindful of the safety of others, and
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  Speaker 2: that wasn't the case I think, on exit for some
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  Speaker 2: of those patrons. But obviously I support the idea of
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  Speaker 2: having a good lifestyle in the territory. I'm completely comfortable
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  Speaker 2: with that, but I'll fully support police about the manner
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  Speaker 2: of exit.
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  Speaker 1: Do you know if they were required to follow the
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  Speaker 1: same strict health protocols I guess that others have to
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  Speaker 1: when organizing an event. I were the public health officials
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  Speaker 1: sent out there to check that everything. You know, that
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  Speaker 1: there was the QR codes being utilized and that kind
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  Speaker 1: of thing.
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  Speaker 2: So I understand they had a QR checking system, and
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  Speaker 2: I understand that a COVID nineteen safe plan health might
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  Speaker 2: be our comment whether they did actual environmental health visit
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  Speaker 2: or not. Obviously police were present, and police had the
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  Speaker 2: same important powers about have you got a QR system,
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  Speaker 2: are you using the QR system, and et cetera. But
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  Speaker 2: I understand they followed that. They also had a rubbish plan,
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  Speaker 2: which I think it's important. They had a barge et
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  Speaker 2: cetera that took away the rubbish off the.
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  Speaker 1: Samba, so You don't have an issue with the party happening.
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  Speaker 1: It's more just the way that things were managed in
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  Speaker 1: terms of people getting off off the samba.
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  Speaker 2: Well, the sambapeys were a long tradition. I know I've
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  Speaker 2: gone out previously with the sailing club and I think
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: it was selling club as.
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  Speaker 3: A trade biak club.
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  Speaker 2: Anyway, the great cricket matches you can have out there,
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  Speaker 2: so having events on the sandbars a long term dar
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  Speaker 2: and tradition. I think we want to see people exit
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  Speaker 2: the sandbar safely. I think a few people didn't have
• 7:11
  Speaker 2: plans for exit. That's pretty obvious.
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  Speaker 1: All right, Let's talk about these lockdowns and the vaccination
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: rates in the Northern Territory. Last time we spoke, you
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: said once those vaccination rates reach eighty percent here in
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  Speaker 1: the NT, there would be changes to the ways in
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  Speaker 1: which territorians could deal with COVID. Now you flagged quarantining
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  Speaker 1: at home as a possible incentive for people who are vaccinated.
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  Speaker 1: Since then, those vaccination rates have been revealed, and the
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  Speaker 1: NT News reported on the weekend that in eleven communities
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  Speaker 1: the percentage of people vaccinated is at ten percent all below.
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  Speaker 1: We know though that that revelation comes as John Patterson,
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  Speaker 1: the CEO of am SAND, has called for ninety to
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  Speaker 1: ninety five percent of Indigenous Territorians to be vaccinated before
• 7:53
  Speaker 1: the border is open. Can I just clear this up?
• 7:56
  Speaker 1: Are we trying to reach eighty or ninety to ninety
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  Speaker 1: five percent? Here?
• 8:00
  Speaker 3: There's a bit here for that mine if I work
• 8:01
  Speaker 3: it through.
• 8:02
  Speaker 2: So for me, it's really critical we release individual community
• 8:05
  Speaker 2: data and where they're at for a couple of reasons. One,
• 8:08
  Speaker 2: it focuses our effort where it needs to be. Now
• 8:10
  Speaker 2: the good news bad news. The good news is those
• 8:12
  Speaker 2: communities that have low vax rates are quite small in
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  Speaker 2: population number, so I think we can get quick turnarounds there.
• 8:17
  Speaker 2: But obviously towards the end of October will know essentially
• 8:21
  Speaker 2: if that's a choice versus a chance. So I want to
• 8:23
  Speaker 2: everyone have a chance, But towards the end of October
• 8:25
  Speaker 2: will know people are making active choices and not be vaccinated. Now,
• 8:28
  Speaker 2: the national plan essentially comes in three parts as a formula,
• 8:30
  Speaker 2: how many cases you've got where its've got zero new
• 8:32
  Speaker 2: so Victoria have cases your vax rate and obviously hitting
• 8:35
  Speaker 2: apcent double dose that's our target.
• 8:37
  Speaker 3: And then the public Health safety measures that you have.
• 8:39
  Speaker 2: So for Stage three of national Plan it is eighty
• 8:42
  Speaker 2: percent double dose.
• 8:43
  Speaker 3: I have asked Dougherty for modeling.
• 8:44
  Speaker 2: About whether it needs to be a different figure in
• 8:46
  Speaker 2: remote Aboriginal communities because of their the younger ages. So
• 8:49
  Speaker 2: we'll wait on that advice, but at the moment still
• 8:51
  Speaker 2: add sent double dose is what we're raiming for now.
• 8:53
  Speaker 2: Why we need a release in visual community data is
• 8:56
  Speaker 2: we may need to put public health safey measures around
• 8:58
  Speaker 2: some of those communities. Want people to know why we're
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: doing it if we have to do it, so it's
• 9:02
  Speaker 2: clearing on the record that isn't about protecting vulnerable people.
• 9:05
  Speaker 3: If we have to do public health safety measures.
• 9:06
  Speaker 1: There, it does go against swart am sand to whatever
• 9:09
  Speaker 1: Aboriginal health leaders want to happen. They say that by
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: identifying those communities that it could actually be detrimental and
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: could do the wrong thing.
• 9:17
  Speaker 2: I think we have to have public confidence and decisions
• 9:19
  Speaker 2: we make, so I want people to have confidence that
• 9:21
  Speaker 2: we're working in the areas we need to work. So
• 9:23
  Speaker 2: here the thoughs rate numbers and if we do a
• 9:25
  Speaker 2: public health safety measure, you know, the extreme example of
• 9:28
  Speaker 2: this will be bringing back by a security zones. That's
• 9:30
  Speaker 2: a commworth power. That's an extreme example. If you're going
• 9:32
  Speaker 2: to do that, people need to know why you're doing it.
• 9:34
  Speaker 2: Otherwise it looks like you're picking a community for no reason.
• 9:37
  Speaker 2: The land councils are flag a policy around double dose
• 9:40
  Speaker 2: added to go into a remote community for example. I mean,
• 9:42
  Speaker 2: these are examples of public health safety measures. If you're
• 9:44
  Speaker 2: going to do those, people need to know why you're
• 9:46
  Speaker 2: doing it. And I respect people's choice. Right If the
• 9:49
  Speaker 2: community has made a choice to be to say no
• 9:52
  Speaker 2: to the vaccine or the vaccine complacent or whatever it
• 9:54
  Speaker 2: might be, whatever a category that no falls into, then
• 9:57
  Speaker 2: that's fine, but we have to put public health safety
• 9:59
  Speaker 2: measure around that to keep you safe and to make
• 10:01
  Speaker 2: sure we don't overlay our health system.
• 10:03
  Speaker 1: Now The Australian Today is reporting that Western Australia is
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: working on plans to lock down remote Aboriginal communities with
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: those low vaccination rates when it lifts state in international borders.
• 10:13
  Speaker 1: So health officials concerned that there are actually American evangelists
• 10:18
  Speaker 1: who were scaring residents into refusing vaccines. Now, the WA
• 10:22
  Speaker 1: Health Minister Roger Cook confirmed that he'd spoken to his
• 10:24
  Speaker 1: federal counterpark Greg Hunt to request support to lock down
• 10:28
  Speaker 1: communities with low COVID nineteen vaccination rates once those border
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: restrictions were relaxed. Their most recent publicly available vaccination data
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: for WA's Northern Outback region. It was released last Monday,
• 10:40
  Speaker 1: and it showed that just twenty eight percent of adults
• 10:43
  Speaker 1: have had one dose, compared to fifty three percent across
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: the entire state. It is a much higher rate than
• 10:49
  Speaker 1: what we're seeing in some of our remote Northern Territory communities.
• 10:53
  Speaker 1: Are you looking at potentially doing the same thing here
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: in the Northern Territory? Could we have a situation where
• 10:58
  Speaker 1: some of those remotemmunities, if they're not moving forward with
• 11:02
  Speaker 1: those vaccinations, could we actually they be locked down?
• 11:05
  Speaker 2: I was clear up think our remote vaccination rate by
• 11:09
  Speaker 2: region is the best in the country.
• 11:10
  Speaker 3: So we're nation leading.
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: Them below ten percent.
• 11:13
  Speaker 2: So if you think about the percentage figures that the
• 11:15
  Speaker 2: WA released, they've got communities worse than that. So because
• 11:18
  Speaker 2: its averages out, we've got some communities, quite small communities.
• 11:21
  Speaker 2: It's more populations that have a bad vas rate and
• 11:23
  Speaker 2: we can now target our work there. But the remote
• 11:26
  Speaker 2: rate full stop is the best in the country. It's
• 11:28
  Speaker 2: not where I want it. I want it to be
• 11:29
  Speaker 2: a lot higher. But as I flagged, I think an
• 11:32
  Speaker 2: extreme measure what I don't want to do because it
• 11:34
  Speaker 2: is resource intensive, requires interdiction points, and it means that
• 11:37
  Speaker 2: a very vulnerable community will be a biosecurity zone. I
• 11:40
  Speaker 2: flagged down in the past. We did it last year.
• 11:42
  Speaker 2: I don't want to do that.
• 11:44
  Speaker 1: So you even if we've got a community who are
• 11:47
  Speaker 1: not wanting to get vaccinated, let's say that those vaccination
• 11:50
  Speaker 1: rates stay quite low, and despite work happening in that community,
• 11:53
  Speaker 1: you're not able to get those vax rates up. You're
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: not going to close those communities off.
• 11:57
  Speaker 3: No, No, I'm saying I don't want to. I'm not saying
• 11:58
  Speaker 3: I won't. I don't want to do that. That has
• 12:02
  Speaker 3: to be an option.
• 12:03
  Speaker 2: There has to be an option if for vACC rates
• 12:04
  Speaker 2: days low that there's been allegations around why people might
• 12:07
  Speaker 2: be saying no down in Central Australia. So put another
• 12:09
  Speaker 2: thing for clarity. The low wax rate communities we have
• 12:13
  Speaker 2: are basically all Central Australia and the Barkley. So top
• 12:15
  Speaker 2: ends actually going okay, very well. Character you look at
• 12:18
  Speaker 2: the figures and that's important. The wet season coming up
• 12:20
  Speaker 2: Central Australia, mainly small communities. The Congress, which is a
• 12:25
  Speaker 2: ational community corol health sector down analysis down in the center.
• 12:29
  Speaker 2: I have said that at the moment this is going
• 12:31
  Speaker 2: to be rough, paraphrasing from an article. They go the
• 12:33
  Speaker 2: other day, six in TENNI saying yes, three in Tenni
• 12:36
  Speaker 2: saying not today, and one are Tenna saying no. So
• 12:38
  Speaker 2: that not today, three and ten That worries me. That's complacency.
• 12:41
  Speaker 2: Vaccine complacency. I think there's a bit of that in
• 12:43
  Speaker 2: the territory. I think it's worse than WA. But people thinking, oh,
• 12:46
  Speaker 2: we've been COVID free, I can just not bother doing
• 12:48
  Speaker 2: it yet, Well, I'm sorry, you really have to do it.
• 12:50
  Speaker 1: But so by the sounds of it, you're not actually
• 12:52
  Speaker 1: ruling out locking down some of those remote communities. If
• 12:55
  Speaker 1: we're not able to get those vaccination rates high, that's.
• 12:57
  Speaker 2: A public health safety measure you have to keep on
• 12:59
  Speaker 2: the table. Can only do it with the Komwalf's doubles
• 13:01
  Speaker 2: flag in the same thing, so the Komonworth would have
• 13:03
  Speaker 2: to agree to. I'd also pay want to talk of
• 13:06
  Speaker 2: land councils and amcent It probably depends on whether the
• 13:08
  Speaker 2: remote community is as well. But if you have a
• 13:10
  Speaker 2: remote community that has made the choice, if it's a
• 13:14
  Speaker 2: chance thing, I don't think you've got to do this.
• 13:15
  Speaker 3: You're going to keep working it through. But there made
• 13:17
  Speaker 3: a choice to be a low vaxed.
• 13:18
  Speaker 2: Community, then what do you do to protect the vulnerable
• 13:21
  Speaker 2: in that community? And it may be a biosecurity, don't
• 13:24
  Speaker 2: I can't rull it.
• 13:24
  Speaker 1: Out, Okay, So that is an option that's on the
• 13:26
  Speaker 1: table at this point in time. I mean, I guess
• 13:29
  Speaker 1: the thing is it's getting really difficult in the sense
• 13:31
  Speaker 1: that we've then got industry leaders that are calling for
• 13:33
  Speaker 1: a greater plan when it comes to what's going to
• 13:36
  Speaker 1: happen once we reach that eighty percent number. It will
• 13:39
  Speaker 1: mean that, well, we're hoping I guess many in the
• 13:42
  Speaker 1: industries are hoping that it may mean that if they
• 13:45
  Speaker 1: do have a vaccinated workforce, it will mean that they
• 13:48
  Speaker 1: don't have to maybe close off or going to lockdown.
• 13:51
  Speaker 1: If we are in a situation where we've got a
• 13:52
  Speaker 1: case that comes into the territory, is that something that
• 13:55
  Speaker 1: you're looking at at the moment.
• 13:57
  Speaker 2: There's two questions in front of us when we hit
• 13:59
  Speaker 2: double dose A, not if when we hit double dose AD.
• 14:02
  Speaker 2: We have no restrictions that we are open. So the
• 14:03
  Speaker 2: planets are victorians of Wales, but how do they get
• 14:05
  Speaker 2: to where the territory is? So we've got protect that
• 14:07
  Speaker 2: we're open. So the two questions front of us are
• 14:09
  Speaker 2: how do you handle quarantine and hard borders which is
• 14:11
  Speaker 2: the home based quarantine option, and we're doing the work
• 14:13
  Speaker 2: around how we can do that in a safe, fair way,
• 14:17
  Speaker 2: So that's that question. Then the other question, obviously is
• 14:20
  Speaker 2: if there is a case in the territory, how to
• 14:22
  Speaker 2: irrespond to that.
• 14:24
  Speaker 3: Now.
• 14:24
  Speaker 2: I think because of the way we've done lockdowns so far,
• 14:28
  Speaker 2: this might have led to some misunderstandings. We're in stage
• 14:30
  Speaker 2: one of the National Plan, so we've got vaccination rate
• 14:32
  Speaker 2: below seventy percent and the whole countries, and that's in
• 14:35
  Speaker 2: Stage one National Plan. Our lockdowns today are considered Stage
• 14:39
  Speaker 2: three lockdowns, highly targeted, specific and short. So the National
• 14:43
  Speaker 2: Planet Stage three actually recommends the style of lockdown we've
• 14:46
  Speaker 2: had today. I can't rule out not doing lockdowns in
• 14:49
  Speaker 2: the future. I don't want to. What we have at
• 14:52
  Speaker 2: APS and double dose is the capacity to have one
• 14:54
  Speaker 2: extra tool in the toolkit, and that's a lockout or
• 14:58
  Speaker 2: to borrow a phrase that they've been using Victoria to
• 14:59
  Speaker 2: the scre the difference between these two. So a lockout
• 15:02
  Speaker 2: is when you can allow the vaccinated workforce to keep working.
• 15:05
  Speaker 3: That wouldn't that.
• 15:07
  Speaker 2: I'll give you perhaps two examples with the tantam I
• 15:11
  Speaker 2: and the incident we had there that will probably still
• 15:13
  Speaker 2: mandate a lockdown. That was extremely concerning incident with the millions.
• 15:16
  Speaker 1: Even if we're eighty percent vaccination, right.
• 15:18
  Speaker 3: That's recommended in the National Plan.
• 15:19
  Speaker 2: So as a member the National Cabinet, I can assure
• 15:22
  Speaker 2: you how we do lockdowns is what National Plans stays
• 15:24
  Speaker 2: three recommends that our method of lockdown. So for the
• 15:27
  Speaker 2: Tanaa incident, absolutely a lockdown. For the military contractor, it
• 15:31
  Speaker 2: may have been a lockout instead of a lockdown. Now,
• 15:34
  Speaker 2: the only jurisdictions that have gone to this lockout phase
• 15:37
  Speaker 2: to borrow that phrase Victoria and arguably News have Wales.
• 15:40
  Speaker 2: They're doing it not to get to COVID zero. They're
• 15:43
  Speaker 2: doing it to manage the growth of coronavirus. Want to
• 15:47
  Speaker 2: be clear here, a lockout might be a scenario where
• 15:49
  Speaker 2: we have community transmission NORN territory and we can't get
• 15:52
  Speaker 2: it back to zero. That's why a lockdown probably remains
• 15:54
  Speaker 2: the best most effective method.
• 15:56
  Speaker 1: So what exactly is going to change here?
• 15:58
  Speaker 2: Well, territory is ahead of the so unlike the rest
• 16:01
  Speaker 2: of the country, we have no restrictions here.
• 16:03
  Speaker 1: But so what's like once we get to eighty percent vaccination? Right,
• 16:06
  Speaker 1: what exactly is going to change? Is it just going
• 16:08
  Speaker 1: to be that you can maybe quarantine from home? Yes,
• 16:11
  Speaker 1: how much is that going to cost? I know that
• 16:13
  Speaker 1: you have said that it is something that even if
• 16:16
  Speaker 1: you're quarantining from home territory, it's going to have to
• 16:18
  Speaker 1: pay that bill themselves, mate.
• 16:20
  Speaker 2: I said, we may charge them for the compliance checks.
• 16:22
  Speaker 2: So obviously you can't charge them with staying at their
• 16:24
  Speaker 2: own house, but obviously it costs money you do compliance
• 16:26
  Speaker 2: in and around someone staying at their own home for.
• 16:29
  Speaker 3: Quarantine, we may charge that.
• 16:30
  Speaker 2: That's not the decision that we've made, so obviously we're
• 16:32
  Speaker 2: working that through.
• 16:34
  Speaker 1: So how much is that going to cost? If you
• 16:37
  Speaker 1: are going to have to charge for a compliance check?
• 16:39
  Speaker 1: Surely that's something that you've been looking at.
• 16:40
  Speaker 3: Yeah, but it depends on the method of compliance you choose.
• 16:43
  Speaker 2: So I haven't got a figure for you, ye, because
• 16:45
  Speaker 2: obviously depends on the mixture between the app. So we've
• 16:47
  Speaker 2: got access to the West Australian app Good to Go
• 16:50
  Speaker 2: and the measure sorry, the mixture of in person compliance
• 16:54
  Speaker 2: checking by police or others. So it's just working that
• 16:56
  Speaker 2: through and then it might be we say that's a
• 16:58
  Speaker 2: cost that we can bear, or might be that we
• 17:00
  Speaker 2: ask for assistance with that.
• 17:02
  Speaker 1: Surely we're at a point where, really, if we're encouraging
• 17:04
  Speaker 1: everybody to get to eighty percent and you want them
• 17:06
  Speaker 1: all to be at eighty percent by October, like literally
• 17:09
  Speaker 1: that's next month. I'm just looking at the fact that
• 17:12
  Speaker 1: we're mids or almost mid September, the thirteenth of September,
• 17:16
  Speaker 1: Now that's next month. Surely you've got a pretty fair
• 17:19
  Speaker 1: idea if that's realistically. The only thing that's going to
• 17:21
  Speaker 1: change exactly how much it is going to to quarantine
• 17:25
  Speaker 1: from home.
• 17:25
  Speaker 2: End of October early November is wh we're looking at here.
• 17:28
  Speaker 2: So we've got a litle bit of time to make
• 17:29
  Speaker 2: sure we really work this out right. Obviously doing a
• 17:31
  Speaker 2: lot of work with doctor Hegey about the circumstances of
• 17:34
  Speaker 2: home based quarantining, so they'll obviously have a big impact
• 17:36
  Speaker 2: on this. So we've got quite a few weeks here
• 17:39
  Speaker 2: to get this sort and we will do.
• 17:41
  Speaker 1: That all right now, we know that Dave Malone from
• 17:43
  Speaker 1: Master Builders has publicly called for a refocus away from lockdowns.
• 17:47
  Speaker 1: He believes that better communication of key details between government
• 17:50
  Speaker 1: and industry could alleviate those issues. Could we utilize a
• 17:54
  Speaker 1: messaging system which is similar to what we do in
• 17:57
  Speaker 1: a cyclone for example.
• 18:00
  Speaker 2: Method remains and is available to the turch controller and
• 18:03
  Speaker 2: EOC and they can use They can choose when they
• 18:05
  Speaker 2: use that or not.
• 18:05
  Speaker 3: I don't tell them how to do that.
• 18:07
  Speaker 2: So if they want to use that messaging system they can,
• 18:09
  Speaker 2: that's just a choice for the EOC. So to date, though,
• 18:11
  Speaker 2: I'd suggest our lockdowns have been incredibly effective. We've had
• 18:14
  Speaker 2: eight days of lockdown in Darwin. I think they're over
• 18:16
  Speaker 2: twenty and twenty in Melbourne.
• 18:17
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I guess so if you are an industry that's
• 18:19
  Speaker 1: been lockdown for those eight days, so it has an
• 18:23
  Speaker 1: enormous impact. And so what a lot of these industries
• 18:26
  Speaker 1: are now wondering is if they do have their workforce vaccinated,
• 18:29
  Speaker 1: if they are at that point where they've got their
• 18:32
  Speaker 1: whole workforce vaccinated, are they still going to be shut
• 18:35
  Speaker 1: down if we have a case like we did last
• 18:37
  Speaker 1: time with that defense worker who came into the territory.
• 18:40
  Speaker 2: So the purpose of a lockdown's stop movement. Even if
• 18:42
  Speaker 2: you've vaccinated, you can transmit the virus, So the purpose
• 18:45
  Speaker 2: of lockdown remains, and our lockdowns are stays three lockdowns,
• 18:49
  Speaker 2: So I can't I can't rule out going into lockdown.
• 18:51
  Speaker 3: So obviously our lockdowns have been pay.
• 18:53
  Speaker 1: So just to make it really clear, literally, the only
• 18:55
  Speaker 1: thing that is going to change for the Northern Territory
• 18:58
  Speaker 1: once we get to that eighty percent facts nation rate
• 19:01
  Speaker 1: is the fact that you'll hopefully be able to quarantine
• 19:04
  Speaker 1: from home.
• 19:04
  Speaker 2: Yeah, we're here the rest of the country, so territories
• 19:07
  Speaker 2: have basically been living Stage three lifestyle. Victorianus of well
• 19:11
  Speaker 2: act want to be where we are, but for the
• 19:13
  Speaker 2: majority of Australia we're already at Stay three.
• 19:15
  Speaker 1: So quarantining from home is going to be the sticking point.
• 19:18
  Speaker 1: If you have been into state and if you come
• 19:21
  Speaker 1: back to the territory, if you've vaccinated, that's what you'll
• 19:23
  Speaker 1: be able to do.
• 19:24
  Speaker 2: And we're working on I'm working on what that will
• 19:26
  Speaker 2: look like and I'm hopeful it'll be very very good
• 19:28
  Speaker 2: and people will.
• 19:29
  Speaker 1: Like it, but it's not going to make any change
• 19:30
  Speaker 1: whatsoever realistically to our lockdowns.
• 19:33
  Speaker 3: So our lockdowns are what Stage three and National Plan recommends.
• 19:36
  Speaker 1: And so I guess to all of those listeners out
• 19:38
  Speaker 1: there this morning who are thinking is it worth me
• 19:40
  Speaker 1: getting vaccinated, that is the message for them that you're
• 19:42
  Speaker 1: not going to have to Obviously you're not going to
• 19:45
  Speaker 1: have to quarantine out of Howard Springs if you go away.
• 19:47
  Speaker 2: And come back, and there will be advantages of vaccinated
• 19:49
  Speaker 2: people working that through. So one of the things I've
• 19:51
  Speaker 2: said at national cabinets is when we talk about vaccinations,
• 19:54
  Speaker 2: we can't talk about easing restrictions because for five five
• 19:56
  Speaker 2: states and territories there are no restrictions. Well, we're going
• 19:59
  Speaker 2: to talk about and vantages of vaccinated people. So over
• 20:02
  Speaker 2: the journey that will come forward as well we do
• 20:04
  Speaker 2: things advantage of vaccinated person because for majority of us
• 20:08
  Speaker 2: in Australia we don't have restrictions.
• 20:10
  Speaker 1: I do just want to take you to an email
• 20:11
  Speaker 1: that we've received from a listener last week. It says
• 20:14
  Speaker 1: I've been vaccinated since March twenty twenty one, and like
• 20:17
  Speaker 1: many Territorians who are originally from interstate, I'd like to
• 20:20
  Speaker 1: see my family at Christmas time in Victoria. The last
• 20:23
  Speaker 1: two years has been extremely difficult for many Territorians who
• 20:26
  Speaker 1: have family and friends interstate. We've been understanding impatient with
• 20:30
  Speaker 1: border closures as we understand the importance of protecting our
• 20:33
  Speaker 1: vulnerable indigenous populations. However, it's getting extremely frustrating as there's
• 20:39
  Speaker 1: been no clarity on the future travel in and out
• 20:41
  Speaker 1: of the Northern Territory for vaccinated Territorians. And it goes
• 20:46
  Speaker 1: on to ask what the plan is for Christmas time?
• 20:50
  Speaker 1: So are we going to be in a situation if
• 20:52
  Speaker 1: we have been vaccinated, we go away at Christmas time?
• 20:55
  Speaker 1: What's going to be the situation for those people who
• 20:58
  Speaker 1: then return to the Northern terirt.
• 21:00
  Speaker 2: I'm extremely confident I can give you that advice well
• 21:02
  Speaker 2: and truly before Christmas. So obviously the two things are
• 21:06
  Speaker 2: what will home based quarantining look like? And then the
• 21:08
  Speaker 2: method and date on which we can twitch to that. Now,
• 21:11
  Speaker 2: if territories keep doing what they're doing and don't be
• 21:13
  Speaker 2: complacent about the vaccine, you don't take the not today
• 21:16
  Speaker 2: attitude that I am very confident we can do all
• 21:18
  Speaker 2: that prior to Christmas.
• 21:19
  Speaker 1: Okay, I am just going to ask you about one
• 21:21
  Speaker 1: last topic. We've run out of time, but I do
• 21:23
  Speaker 1: want to just ask. We know that we are now
• 21:25
  Speaker 1: in a situation where with the IKAK there are three
• 21:28
  Speaker 1: of the people named in the IKAK report into the
• 21:30
  Speaker 1: Turf Club are now taking legal action against the ICACK.
• 21:34
  Speaker 1: We know that the j TEX general manager, Matthew Moss
• 21:37
  Speaker 1: is the latest to launch legal action against the Northern
• 21:40
  Speaker 1: Territories Independent Commissioner against Corruption. We know that that obviously
• 21:45
  Speaker 1: is added to two others who have done the same,
• 21:47
  Speaker 1: Chief Minister, are you concerned about where this is all
• 21:50
  Speaker 1: going to land in terms of this IICQ report and
• 21:53
  Speaker 1: now essentially three of those people who had adverse findings
• 21:57
  Speaker 1: now taking the i CAAC to court and how much
• 22:00
  Speaker 1: it could potentially cost the Northern Territory tax payer?
• 22:02
  Speaker 2: Well, I think when things go to court, you've got
• 22:04
  Speaker 2: all first for I've got be carefully not coming on it.
• 22:06
  Speaker 2: Then you've goa wait and see what the result is
• 22:07
  Speaker 2: and what you might need to do as a result
• 22:09
  Speaker 2: of that. So I think in this instance, in terms
• 22:12
  Speaker 2: of court action, it's wait and see.
• 22:14
  Speaker 1: Now, I also want to know where is that separate
• 22:16
  Speaker 1: review into the EYECAC, which is being conducted by Greg Shanahan.
• 22:20
  Speaker 1: Where's it Ash?
• 22:21
  Speaker 2: Yeah, so, I think the former CEO of Tourney General
• 22:23
  Speaker 2: Justice has been nearly complete with that work. And once
• 22:25
  Speaker 2: that's done, we'll then go through we'll work it out
• 22:28
  Speaker 2: with Greg and the CHAP.
• 22:30
  Speaker 3: We'll then get through a public process.
• 22:32
  Speaker 1: And so how far away are you anticipating? A couple
• 22:34
  Speaker 1: of weeks?
• 22:34
  Speaker 3: I will thought so, Yeah, a couple of.
• 22:36
  Speaker 1: Weeks and so then it will be made public.
• 22:38
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think that. I think that's quite reasonable. Couple
• 22:40
  Speaker 2: of weeks. We're very close.
• 22:41
  Speaker 1: Well, hopefully by the next time we chat we'll know
• 22:43
  Speaker 1: more about that. Chief Minister Michael Gunner will leave it there.
• 22:45
  Speaker 1: Thanks for your time this morning.