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Katie spoke with Member for Katherine Jo Hersey as the region emerges from lockout · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Well, we know Catherine was released from its lockdown yesterday
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: at midday. There are now no restrictions on the reasons
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: to leave home for people who are vaccinated and also
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: those who are unvaccinated. We do know though, a mask
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: mandate's going to remain in place until midday on Wednesday,
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: December fifteenth. Joining me on the line right now is
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  Speaker 1: the local member for Catherine, Joe Hersey.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning to you, Joe.
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  Speaker 3: Good morning Katie, and good morning listeners.
• 0:25
  Speaker 2: Joe. How are people feeling in Catherine today?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, I think everyone's pretty excited. We've also had rain overnight,
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  Speaker 3: so that's been great to wake up till beautiful morning.
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  Speaker 3: And I think business is keen to get back and
• 0:40
  Speaker 3: get all the customers in and get ready for Christmas
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  Speaker 3: as well as I'm sure there was probably a steady
• 0:45
  Speaker 3: stream of people that had things to do in Darwin
• 0:48
  Speaker 3: and now I'll go and do that.
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  Speaker 1: It'd been almost a month of restrictions, hadn't it correct?
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  Speaker 3: And I can absolutely appreciate the people from Victoria of
• 1:00
  Speaker 3: two hundred and forty two days, which my sister did. Seriously,
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  Speaker 3: I don't know how they did it because most people
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  Speaker 3: that I spoke to in Catherine really were, you know,
• 1:10
  Speaker 3: champion at the bit to get out and just get
• 1:13
  Speaker 3: back to normal, and we just did two weeks lockdown
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  Speaker 3: and two weeks of lockout.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, gives you a bit of perspective, doesn't it, in
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  Speaker 1: terms of the way that some of the other locations
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: around Australia, our fellow Aussies have been going. And I
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  Speaker 1: don't think that for us in the territory we really
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: had much of an idea and for us in Darwin
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  Speaker 1: we probably still don't. Whereas for you guys in Catherine,
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  Speaker 1: it certainly gives you that perspective.
• 1:36
  Speaker 3: It sure does. And the reality of how free and
• 1:39
  Speaker 3: easy our life style has been certainly made you reassess
• 1:45
  Speaker 3: that while we were in only just that two week lockdown,
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  Speaker 3: but I can tell you people are very glad to
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  Speaker 3: be out of that. And you know, the home straight
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  Speaker 3: to Christmas, you know, not long now, and businesses really
• 1:59
  Speaker 3: need the community get behind them and get in and
• 2:03
  Speaker 3: support them in the lead up to Christmas.
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  Speaker 1: Joe, how are those businesses feeling this morning, you know,
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  Speaker 1: just a couple of weeks out from Christmas, but obviously
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  Speaker 1: following on from what has been a big four weeks,
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  Speaker 1: how are they feeling today.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, so yesterday afternoon I did a bit of a
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  Speaker 3: wander up and down the street and spoke to a
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  Speaker 3: few business people, and people were certainly glad to be
• 2:25
  Speaker 3: back to normal. You know, apart from just wearing the masks,
• 2:29
  Speaker 3: businesses have been doing it tough. The lockdown time really
• 2:34
  Speaker 3: did affect you know, people's cash flow. But I think
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  Speaker 3: most people now that I spoke to yesterday, they are
• 2:40
  Speaker 3: really glad to be getting back to normal and having
• 2:44
  Speaker 3: people come in the doors again, which is great.
• 2:48
  Speaker 2: It is great.
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: How are people feeling about there still being that positive
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: in the wastewater and you know the statement by the
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  Speaker 1: Health Minister yesterday that we are potentially going to see
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: all cases but you know, I'm lifting that lockout anyway.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, it's certainly been interesting the transition to the next phase,
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  Speaker 3: and people are definitely still a bit nervous about the
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  Speaker 3: fact that you know, there's just you know, the positive wastewater.
• 3:19
  Speaker 3: Potentially there could be people in the community. You know,
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  Speaker 3: we're just urging everyone to go and get tested. But
• 3:27
  Speaker 3: that's another issue. This weekend, there is no testing sites.
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  Speaker 3: I have raised this issue. There are no testing sites opening. Catherine,
• 3:35
  Speaker 3: this weekend. So for the people that want to travel
• 3:38
  Speaker 3: that have been stuck in Catherine and they want to
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  Speaker 3: travel back down South or to home on Monday or Tuesday,
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  Speaker 3: you need a seventy two hour PCR test before you go.
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  Speaker 3: There's actually no testing sites open, which we're hoping for
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  Speaker 3: that to be rectified today and someone give us an
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  Speaker 3: answer on that.
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  Speaker 1: Jo That's actually a pretty big issue. So what you're
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: saying is that there's there are going to be no
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  Speaker 1: testing sites whatsoever in Catherine this weekend.
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  Speaker 3: No, so the Joels Street ones closed down. I spoke
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  Speaker 3: to Katherine East. Today's there last day and they've been
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  Speaker 3: the people from Darwin that have come down and they've
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  Speaker 3: done a fantastic job and they still continue to be
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  Speaker 3: testing up until this afternoon and then they close down
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  Speaker 3: and that only leaves the pandemic clinic at the hospital.
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  Speaker 3: But my understanding is when you go on the site,
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  Speaker 3: there is no appointments available this weekend. It's actually blocked out, so.
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: Well, what are people there to do?
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  Speaker 3: An email through about that, so hopefully you know someone
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  Speaker 3: will see that testing still needs to go on, and
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  Speaker 3: you know, if you're urging people to still get tested,
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  Speaker 3: a testing facility still does need to be open here
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  Speaker 3: in Catherine.
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  Speaker 2: One hundred percent.
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  Speaker 1: But also, you know, you would suspect that, like we've
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: discussed just a moment ago, if there is still positive wastewater,
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  Speaker 1: if we have the Health Minister and the Chief Minister
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: saying that they are expecting that there's going to be
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  Speaker 1: more cases, we've got to make sure that there's places
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  Speaker 1: for people to go and get tested.
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  Speaker 3: Correct.
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  Speaker 2: It's quite I'm finding that quite unbelievable.
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  Speaker 1: I know you'd said that you asked a lable to
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: go to the pandemic clinic clinic at the hospital, but
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  Speaker 1: you've got to book that online. And from what you're saying,
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  Speaker 1: there isn't anywhere or there aren't any appointments available on
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: the weekend.
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  Speaker 3: Not it's blocked out over the weekend. So it shows
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  Speaker 3: that you can't make an appointment.
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  Speaker 2: Well, that is a worry, Joe.
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  Speaker 1: You've written to the Health Minister or you've emailed the
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: Health Minister and the Health department.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, the Health Minister is aware of that and I'm
• 5:40
  Speaker 3: waiting to hear back from someone today about that. So
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  Speaker 3: you know, I'll let you know what the outcome of
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  Speaker 3: that is.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, i'd be really interested to know and really keen
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: to make sure that all of our listeners know. Joe,
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: in terms of that mask mandate and people checking in,
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  Speaker 1: do you think that that's going to be something that
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: happens fairly seamlessly.
• 6:01
  Speaker 3: I do think it is. People are used to wearing
• 6:03
  Speaker 3: their masks now, and people are certainly used to checking in.
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  Speaker 3: I've certainly been into businesses yesterday and you know some
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  Speaker 3: I just checked into and obviously I'm fully vaccinated. Some
• 6:15
  Speaker 3: did actually asked to see that vaccination status, so you
• 6:18
  Speaker 3: know that's good. I don't think there's any there won't
• 6:21
  Speaker 3: be any problems in that.
• 6:24
  Speaker 2: Well, that is good to hear.
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  Speaker 1: I'm pleased that things sound as so they're getting back
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  Speaker 1: to normal. Joe Hersey, It's been good to catch up
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  Speaker 1: with you a lot more often over the last couple
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  Speaker 1: of weeks. I know that that obviously hasn't been so
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: great for the residents of Catherine, but we really appreciate
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: all the time that you've given us on the Shy.
• 6:40
  Speaker 3: No thanks, Katie, And just before I go, I just
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  Speaker 3: want to give a plug to the National Trust O
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  Speaker 3: Chief Christmas lights on again this Friday as well, and
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  Speaker 3: also road Tree will be doing the barbecue at the
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  Speaker 3: community markets, which I heard you talk to Frent yesterday.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, thank you so much.
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  Speaker 3: A barbecue there. So we've got a good selection of
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  Speaker 3: lights and lights in the community for people to go
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  Speaker 3: drive around and have a lookout this weekend and in
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  Speaker 3: the week's leading up weekends leading up to Christmas as well.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, good stuff, and thank you for making us aware
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  Speaker 1: of those lights as well that Trent and and some
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: of his mates are putting on.
• 7:20
  Speaker 2: It sounds like it's going to be fantastic.
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  Speaker 3: I think it will be good. And yeah, like Trent said,
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  Speaker 3: he loves Christmas. I love Christmas and there's nothing nicer
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  Speaker 3: the council. This year we've got a Christmas tree up
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  Speaker 3: in the town square, so that's lovely to see. That's
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  Speaker 3: the first time I think I've been here thirty three years.
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  Speaker 3: I think that's the first time we've actually had a
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  Speaker 3: tree and a beautiful tree. It is so well done
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  Speaker 3: to the council for getting a tree up and the
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  Speaker 3: Christmas lights in the at Oke's house and that the
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  Speaker 3: community tick market will be fantastic in the weekends leading
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  Speaker 3: up to Christmas.
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  Speaker 2: All good stuff.
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  Speaker 1: Well, Joe, thank you very much for your time and
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  Speaker 1: well to everybody in Catherine as well.
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  Speaker 2: I'm really glad that.
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  Speaker 1: You guys are out of that, you know, those restrictions,
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: and able to get back to that normality.
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  Speaker 3: No worries.
• 8:10
  Speaker 2: Thanks Katie, thank you. We'll talk to you again soon