Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie Woolf spoke with Chief Executive Officer at Northern Territory Council of Social Service (NTCOSS) Deb di Natale

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Katie Woolf spoke with Chief Executive Officer at Northern Territory Council of Social Service (NTCOSS) Deb di Natale · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: Mix one O four point nine dot comtu for all
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  Speaker 1: the latest news and information now three sixty with Katie Wolf.
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  Speaker 1: Everyone is listening Mix one oh four point nine one
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  Speaker 1: hundred percent.
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  Speaker 2: N We do know that the Northern Territory Council of
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  Speaker 2: Social Services have welcomed the fact that Territorians are now
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  Speaker 2: eligible for the federal government's Pandemic Leave disaster payment. Now,
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  Speaker 2: oh dear, we've just lost ebteen Andentarie on the line.
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  Speaker 2: Will you to catch up with her and we will
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  Speaker 2: make sure that we get it back on the line
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  Speaker 2: from nt COSTS the chief executive, Deborah dat Natale, and
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  Speaker 2: she is going to be joining us in just a
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  Speaker 2: moment to let us know a little bit more about
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  Speaker 2: this payment and really how it's been received. But on Friday,
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  Speaker 2: essentially this lump payment of fifteen hundred dollars was made
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  Speaker 2: available to eligible Territorians who've been unable to earn an
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  Speaker 2: income while they've had to undertake isolation because of those
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  Speaker 2: COVID nineteen concerns. And we know that it has been
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  Speaker 2: something that's been a real concern for a lot of Territorians,
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  Speaker 2: particularly if you're not able to go to work and
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  Speaker 2: not able you know, to have your usual income that
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  Speaker 2: you would. Now joining us on the line from the
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  Speaker 2: NT Council of Social Services, the Chief Executive, Deborah Di Natali.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning to you.
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  Speaker 3: Deb Good morning Katie.
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  Speaker 2: Now talk us through this pandemic leave disaster payment deb
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  Speaker 2: and if it's a good thing for Territorians.
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  Speaker 3: Oh thanks Katie. Look, it's hugely good news for Territorians
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  Speaker 3: and really welcome news because what the pandemic lead disaster
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  Speaker 3: payment does for Territorians does it mean that those to
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  Speaker 3: get any type of directive from a territory health official
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  Speaker 3: that they've got to self estinate and they lose their
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  Speaker 3: income as a result, that they'll get a lump sum
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  Speaker 3: of fifteen hundred dollars. So what would happen before is
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  Speaker 3: that if people had to self isolate, that's fourteen days
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  Speaker 3: without an income and now they're getting a payment for that.
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  Speaker 3: So I just want to say that's great news for
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  Speaker 3: us in the territory for those who need to quarantine.
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  Speaker 3: But also want to give a plug to the MTG
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  Speaker 3: who's covering the costs for temporary visa holders. So everybody
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  Speaker 3: still needs to apply through Services Australia, but the MTG
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  Speaker 3: is picking up the bill for temporary visa holders, and
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  Speaker 3: I think that's great that they've extended it to ensure
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  Speaker 3: that they're covered as well.
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  Speaker 2: Do we have any idea how many territory ands this
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  Speaker 2: would have impacted last week.
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  Speaker 3: We haven't got the numbers of that yet, But what
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  Speaker 3: we do know is that if we don't have appropriate
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  Speaker 3: quarantine measures in place to encourage people staying home, that's
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  Speaker 3: when we're going to find ourselves in a situation of risk.
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  Speaker 3: And I mean, by looking at the news so far,
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  Speaker 3: it looks like we're in a very good place to
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  Speaker 3: be able to lift our restrictions come Friday. So that's
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  Speaker 3: happy news for all of us in the territory.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, for sure. And you know, I guess though we
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  Speaker 2: have heard from you know, from people who are casual workers,
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  Speaker 2: from those in hospitality, you know, no matter what industry,
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  Speaker 2: even the gym industry at the moment, who are sort
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  Speaker 2: of finding it a bit tough right now if they're
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  Speaker 2: not able to get to work.
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  Speaker 3: I know, and look, not all employees have the benefit
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  Speaker 3: of being able to work from home. And we also
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  Speaker 3: know that we've got a huge casualization in terms of
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  Speaker 3: the workforce. Like you look at they're not the profit area,
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  Speaker 3: for example, and we employ over ten thousand people in
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  Speaker 3: the not a profit sector, and we know that the
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  Speaker 3: last numbers has told us that thirty six point four
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  Speaker 3: percent of those employees are in the casual workforce. Now,
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  Speaker 3: if you're a casual and you can't work, and we
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  Speaker 3: know what it's like living in the territory now where
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  Speaker 3: the cost of rent has gone through the roofs. People
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  Speaker 3: are all saying that the value of the housing has
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  Speaker 3: gone through the roofs. It's pretty expensive. So to lose
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  Speaker 3: that income when you really need it to make end meet.
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  Speaker 3: Some people are doing it extremely tough.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, they really are. And you know, we know that
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  Speaker 2: it's sort of like it affects people across such a
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  Speaker 2: vast you know, such a vast sort of you know, spectrum.
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  Speaker 2: I guess you'd say, whether whether you're talking about people
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  Speaker 2: that are employed part time, whether you're talking like you
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  Speaker 2: said about those about those workers that are here from
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  Speaker 2: overseas that would be struggling, or even our students, you know,
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  Speaker 2: some of those students that are international students that are
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  Speaker 2: here right now. We know over that COVID lockdown first
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  Speaker 2: time round. And then when you talk about this one,
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  Speaker 2: it's been really tough on some of those people.
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  Speaker 3: It's been hugely tough. And the other thing in terms
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  Speaker 3: of the federal COVID disaster payment is that it only
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  Speaker 3: applies after the first seven days of lockdown. So what
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  Speaker 3: means because the Federal COVID disaster payment means that those
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  Speaker 3: people who have got twenty hours of paid work and
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  Speaker 3: they lose that, they're entitled to three hundred dollars and
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  Speaker 3: those that have got twenty hours or more are entital
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  Speaker 3: to five hundred. Now there's some people that's going to help,
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  Speaker 3: but it's not going to get them to where they
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  Speaker 3: need to be. And I guess from our point of view,
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  Speaker 3: we would be saying the minute lockdown hints the federal
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  Speaker 3: government should be thinking about those subsidies effective immediately. So,
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  Speaker 3: you know, it's a tough coll It was a tough
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  Speaker 3: call for our Chief Minister to turn around and to
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  Speaker 3: say we have to go into immediate lockdown, but it
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  Speaker 3: was the right call and that is why we are
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  Speaker 3: where we are today. But of course there is no
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  Speaker 3: question that that has had an impact on a number
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  Speaker 3: of businesses and a number of individuals, and I just
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  Speaker 3: want to say to your listeners that there have been
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  Speaker 3: a number of announcements. If for example, you're in arts
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  Speaker 3: and culture or you're in the small business, there are
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  Speaker 3: a whole host of lockdown payments that you may be
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  Speaker 3: eligible for. So I encourage them to go on to
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  Speaker 3: the www. Dot Coronavirus, dot net, dot gov, dot AU
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  Speaker 3: because that there will mean that they might be eligible
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  Speaker 3: for a particular brand. So you may as well check
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  Speaker 3: whether you kick the criteria.
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  Speaker 2: Deb So is that the best place for people to
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  Speaker 2: go to if they are after some more information? That's
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  Speaker 2: that's what they should do.
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  Speaker 3: That's totally what they should do, yes, because obviously the
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  Speaker 3: government hasn't been in the situation to cover all people
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  Speaker 3: exactly as you say, Hey, it's a wide spectrum, and
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  Speaker 3: I did see a number of businesses quickly turning to
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  Speaker 3: take away and to do what they could to minimize
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  Speaker 3: the impact. But there still will be people who are
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  Speaker 3: doing it tough that are now unfortunately doing it tougher.
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  Speaker 3: But for those that are in either US and culture
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  Speaker 3: or some type of small business, if we go on
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  Speaker 3: the website and check what you're eligible for, because you
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  Speaker 3: may be able to get a payment for that lost income.
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  Speaker 2: Well, deb Di Natalie. It's always good to catch up
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  Speaker 2: with you. We really appreciate your time this morning.
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  Speaker 3: Fabulous, Thanks Katie, thank you.
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  Speaker 2: That is MT Cost Chief Executive there, deb Di Natalie,
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  Speaker 2: And it is good to hear that there is this payment,
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  Speaker 2: that lump payment of fifteen hundred dollars made available for
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  Speaker 2: those eligible territorians. And I know that there will certainly
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  Speaker 2: be people out there listening who are hoping that they're
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  Speaker 2: going to be able to access that