Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Deputy Opposition Leader Gerard Maley says this morning's estimates are a chance for the Fyles Government to prove itself, with no excuses for not being across the issues

Transcript

Deputy Opposition Leader Gerard Maley says this morning's estimates are a chance for the Fyles Government to prove itself, with no excuses for not being across the issues · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: Estimates begin in the Northern Territory this morning. It started
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: about half an hour ago, and as we know, it
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  Speaker 1: is indeed the Opposition and the Independence opportunity to really
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  Speaker 1: question not only those ministers but also various departmental heads
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  Speaker 1: about their budgets. And this morning the Northern Territory Electoral
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  Speaker 1: Commission as well as the Department of Chief Minister and
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  Speaker 1: Cabinet Major Projects and the IKAK are also all going
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  Speaker 1: to be questioned. And as I mentioned earlier well last
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  Speaker 1: year the questioning of the former IKAK Commissioner Ken Fleming
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  Speaker 1: turned out to be quite an extraordinary situation. So all
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  Speaker 1: eyes will be on estimates throughout the morning. I know
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  Speaker 1: not everybody's going to be watching, but I'll be keeping
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  Speaker 1: an eye on things to find out exactly what is
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  Speaker 1: going on. And joining me in the studio to talk
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  Speaker 1: more about the process is the Deputy Opposition Leader Jared Maylee.
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  Speaker 1: Good morning to.
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  Speaker 2: You, Good morning Katie, Good morning listeners.
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  Speaker 1: Now, Jared, no doubt it is going to be an
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  Speaker 1: interesting process. Last week, I know that the COLP had
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  Speaker 1: said they'd be focusing on health and the decisions made
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  Speaker 1: by the show in terms of vaccination mandates and lockdowns.
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  Speaker 1: But last week, obviously the government announced that that mandate
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  Speaker 1: would be ending tomorrow. Has that meant that there will
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  Speaker 1: be a bit of a change of focus for you guys.
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  Speaker 2: Not really, Katie, because first thing, this is an opportunity
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  Speaker 2: for the new Chief Minister, Natasha Files, to show you
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  Speaker 2: that are a point of difference from Michael Gunner. We
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  Speaker 2: all know one of the Gunner government that the Labor
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  Speaker 2: government were really quiet, they clammed up, they didn't avoid
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  Speaker 2: his scrutiny at all costs. And for example, at the
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  Speaker 2: last estimates last year there were some over two hundred
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  Speaker 2: questions which weren't answered. So I didn't know. I remember
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  Speaker 2: we asked the question to the minister, but the minister's
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  Speaker 2: got the CEOs and heads of departments there, so they
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  Speaker 2: just weren't simply across their bridge. So were they doing
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  Speaker 2: it on purpose? We've got no idea, But this is
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  Speaker 2: a real opportunity for Natasha Files to show a true
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  Speaker 2: colors and be open and accountable to territories. Like they said,
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  Speaker 2: they're always going to be.
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  Speaker 1: What's the process? You know, if you ask a question
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  Speaker 1: to the minister or to one of the departmental heads
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  Speaker 1: and they're not able to answer it, Is it then
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  Speaker 1: something that is able to be answered sort of a
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  Speaker 1: little bit later or what's the situation?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, so Katie, what happens is you don't actually ask
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  Speaker 2: questions off the department have do you ask the question
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  Speaker 2: to the minister and then the minister can refer it
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  Speaker 2: to a department head to answer for you. So the
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  Speaker 2: questions are really from ask the opposition to the minister
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  Speaker 2: and then the minister can answer the question if he
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  Speaker 2: or she wants to or refer and then the CEO
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  Speaker 2: will then answer the question on behalf of the minister.
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  Speaker 2: If they can't answer that question, what it's calls taken
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  Speaker 2: on notice and then the questions repeated. It's written down,
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  Speaker 2: given a number, and then it's given thirty days to
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  Speaker 2: respond and they have an opportunity to give a written
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  Speaker 2: response within that thirty days.
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  Speaker 1: And so from your perspective, when it comes to health
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  Speaker 1: and some of those decisions that were made by the Chow,
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  Speaker 1: are you still planning on asking a number of questions
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  Speaker 1: about those decisions and really why you know some of
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  Speaker 1: them were made, i e. The mandates, particularly the mandates
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  Speaker 1: for workers.
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  Speaker 2: Of course, Okay, this is an opportunity for like I
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  Speaker 2: said earlierf on the Attasha to come clean. We've always
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  Speaker 2: heard on these press releases and media story that the
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  Speaker 2: governments say that we're relying on health advice we want
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  Speaker 2: and we're going to make decisions based on the best
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  Speaker 2: health advice and the COLP policy is to follow the
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  Speaker 2: best health advice is but no one actually gives the
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  Speaker 2: territory into best health advice. So this is an opportunity
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  Speaker 2: for the Natasha Fhiles in the government to hand over
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  Speaker 2: that health advice. We know the chow has said that
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  Speaker 2: in previous media news outlets that he's happy to have
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  Speaker 2: the advice and he's got ready to go on these reports.
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  Speaker 2: So it's real an opportunity for Natasha Fhiles to give
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  Speaker 2: that health advice to territories so they can make an
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  Speaker 2: informed decision. Go. Now we know why these decisions were made.
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  Speaker 2: Was it good or bad? And was it in the
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  Speaker 2: best inste of territories because we don't know the answer.
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  Speaker 1: To that now. I know that first up this morning,
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  Speaker 1: well it kicked off about eight thirty. I believe that
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  Speaker 1: the Order to General was among the first that were up.
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  Speaker 1: So Julie Crisp, the Order to general much info glean
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  Speaker 1: there so far.
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  Speaker 2: Well, I was just watching it this morning cadive on
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  Speaker 2: the way here, and I did hear her say that
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  Speaker 2: she's got no or the government's got no process in
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  Speaker 2: place to measure the cost savings. The cost shaving measures
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  Speaker 2: the government's put in place working. If you understand that.
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  Speaker 1: Yes, so the cost saving measures is part of the
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  Speaker 1: budget that were meant.
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  Speaker 2: To and there's no to measure the cost savings.
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  Speaker 1: How is that possible?
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  Speaker 2: Well, I'm not sure, I know, and I thought I
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  Speaker 2: just saw that on this morning, and I know that
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  Speaker 2: Lee are picked up on that, so I'm sure that
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  Speaker 2: Lee would have kept some follow up questions. So when
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  Speaker 2: I get back to Parliament, I'll certainly look into that,
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  Speaker 2: because it's interesting if these measures here, because we know
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  Speaker 2: we've got an eight point seven billion dollar debt and
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  Speaker 2: we need to make some cost savings. If you can't
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  Speaker 2: even measure what those cost savings are, how are you
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  Speaker 2: going to know if it's been successful.
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  Speaker 1: Well, that's exactly right. We've got to know whether they're
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  Speaker 1: working or not, particularly when the cost of living is
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  Speaker 1: rising in the way that it is and we've got
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  Speaker 1: public service pay freezers. I know that they've still got
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  Speaker 1: that bonus, but there are still public servants who are
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  Speaker 1: going to be impacted by the cost of living pressures.
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  Speaker 1: So you really need to know whether those cost saving
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  Speaker 1: measures are working or not, because if they're not, well,
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  Speaker 1: you've got to think of some other other things that
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  Speaker 1: are going to work.
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  Speaker 2: Of course, because the government's got the leavers to make
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  Speaker 2: a difference. Because I went to the fuel station the
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  Speaker 2: other day and fill up my Lanka two fuel tanks.
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  Speaker 2: It was over three hundred dollars in the field.
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  Speaker 1: Right.
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  Speaker 2: I've got a family of five and I go shopping
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  Speaker 2: and go the food, and the food is just so expensive.
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  Speaker 2: So cost of living is a real issue in the
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  Speaker 2: chair and the government have an opportunity to fix it
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  Speaker 2: if they wish to.
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  Speaker 1: Hey, I do want to ask as well. We know
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  Speaker 1: that this morning as well. The Electoral Commissioner and the
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  Speaker 1: new ICAC Commissioner are among those that are going through
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  Speaker 1: the estimates process. What is the opposition going to focus on,
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  Speaker 1: particularly with the likes of the ICAC Commissioner.
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  Speaker 2: Well, we're going to work out how many complaints have
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  Speaker 2: been heard, how many investigations are on foot, and are
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  Speaker 2: there any opportunity to see if there's any being fraud
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  Speaker 2: committed by the government or a government employee, because that's
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  Speaker 2: what the IKAC does. It deals with public money and
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  Speaker 2: public employees. So just to work out what's going on,
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  Speaker 2: I'm not sure. I think last time there was some
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  Speaker 2: bombshells dropped by the previous ICA commissioner. I'm not sure
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  Speaker 2: how this new ARCHAC commission is going to go. I
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  Speaker 2: think he seems to be a lot more reserved. I'm
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  Speaker 2: just not sure. But that's happening this morning, so we'll
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  Speaker 2: find out.
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  Speaker 1: I'll be very interested to hear if there have been
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  Speaker 1: many complaints made or you know, how things are tracking along.
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  Speaker 2: When it comes to this, I remember it is and
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  Speaker 2: investigation to the former Chief Minister, so maybe you can
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  Speaker 2: have some questions about that. I'm not sure if the
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  Speaker 2: ICAC commissill answer them, because he might say I'm going
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  Speaker 2: to investigation, but I am sure that Lee will be
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  Speaker 2: asking some questions about answer.
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  Speaker 1: Jared, there's no doubt that one of the biggest issues
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  Speaker 1: around the Northern Territory very often, and I know that
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  Speaker 1: you're aware of this, I think everybody is. But one
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  Speaker 1: of the biggest issues that we have quite often is
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  Speaker 1: crime is that something that's going to be an area
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  Speaker 1: of focus for the opposition over the coming days.
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  Speaker 2: Of course it is because we need to grow our
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  Speaker 2: population and people aren't going to come to the charitory
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  Speaker 2: if they want to become a victim of crime. We
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  Speaker 2: need to make sure there's any social behavior goes down
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  Speaker 2: because walking down the street, matter where you're in Darwin, Catherine,
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  Speaker 2: TANet Creek or Olie Springs, the last thing you want
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  Speaker 2: to do is see fighting and drunken anti social behavior
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  Speaker 2: in the street. So something needs to happen. So this
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  Speaker 2: is an opportunity to ask the minister. I'm a bit
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  Speaker 2: worried that the new minister is going to say, well,
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  Speaker 2: that's not my problem because I didn't on the new minister.
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  Speaker 2: I don't know what happened before. So it's really an
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  Speaker 2: opportunity to make sure that these new ministers are across
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  Speaker 2: their brief because even if they're a new minister, but
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  Speaker 2: the CEO of those departments are still there, so the
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  Speaker 2: opportunity for them is to answer those questions should be
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  Speaker 2: taken by them.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I reckon that's going to be a really interesting
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  Speaker 1: that's interesting thing, and it's a good point that you've made.
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  Speaker 2: There.
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  Speaker 1: With all those changes of portfolios, are we going to
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  Speaker 1: see a situation where some of those ministers, I'm not
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  Speaker 1: across that it's a new portfolio when at the end
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  Speaker 1: of the day, we've known estimates is coming for an
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  Speaker 1: extended period of time. We know sort of right at
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  Speaker 1: the beginning of the year. They need to be on
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  Speaker 1: top of it and need to be able to answer
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  Speaker 1: those questions.
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  Speaker 2: And just simply saying that wasn't in my time is
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  Speaker 2: not a good excuse in my book, because, like I
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  Speaker 2: said earlier, the CEO, those departments are there and that
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  Speaker 2: this is not a random, out of the blue estimate.
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  Speaker 2: It's been in this week or two weeks for basically
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  Speaker 2: a year, so they have an opportunity to understand. And
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  Speaker 2: I know that the public services have been working very
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  Speaker 2: hard getting ready for estimates. I know some public servant
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  Speaker 2: friends of myself have been very busy doing getting questions
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  Speaker 2: ready and getting answers. So the information is there is
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  Speaker 2: really going to come down to the Natasha fhile going
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  Speaker 2: to come into They want to hand it over to
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  Speaker 2: territories who deserve that information.
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  Speaker 1: Now, one of the other things that we have been
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  Speaker 1: keeping a pretty close eye on is those flu numbers.
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  Speaker 1: We know that they're very high around the Northern Territory
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  Speaker 1: right now and according to the latest Northern Territory Health data,
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  Speaker 1: been three two hundred infections reported as of June thirteen. Now,
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  Speaker 1: my understanding is that there are currently forty two patients
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  Speaker 1: in hospital with the flu, including two people in ICU.
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  Speaker 1: The colp are now calling for the Northern Territory government
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  Speaker 1: to provide free flu vaccines to all Territorians. Why do
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  Speaker 1: you think this is necessary?
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  Speaker 2: Because the flu has been around for a long time,
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  Speaker 2: but we've had had a couple of years where there's
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  Speaker 2: been a limited people come to the territory, so people
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  Speaker 2: are exposed to this virus and some young children who
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  Speaker 2: were only born the last two years haven't already been
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  Speaker 2: exposed to us. So it's really important that we protect territorians.
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  Speaker 2: It seems to be having more impact than COVID in
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  Speaker 2: relation to this flu. A lot of people are getting sick.
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  Speaker 2: My eighty three old mother had it last week and
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  Speaker 2: she was really sick with the COVID sorry with their flu.
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  Speaker 2: So it's just really important to protect territorians and this
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  Speaker 2: is an opportunity to do that. For the labor government.
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  Speaker 1: Now over the weekend they did announce that the Darwin
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  Speaker 1: Vaccination Center in Marara is going to add to its
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  Speaker 1: operation well from today in a three week BLA. It's
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  Speaker 1: a head of the clinics closure, so it is going
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  Speaker 1: to open to those children under the age of five.
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  Speaker 2: Is that enough, Well not really, because there's a lot
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  Speaker 2: of territories. You can't get to Marara. There's right across
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  Speaker 2: the territory and we know that public transport is limited
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  Speaker 2: in the territory. People are working, so it's very difficult
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  Speaker 2: to get to that location. What the government need to
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  Speaker 2: do is put this vaccine out to health clinics and
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  Speaker 2: to right across the territory, so if you want to
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  Speaker 2: access to it, you can get it.
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  Speaker 1: And so not just for those young kids, but it
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  Speaker 1: should be for absolutely everybody.
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  Speaker 2: If you feel that you've got a need for a
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  Speaker 2: flu vaccine, you should be able to have access to it.
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  Speaker 2: Because some people get the flu regularly and some people don't,
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  Speaker 2: and some people want it and make it. Remember it's
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  Speaker 2: your choice whether you want it or not. But if
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  Speaker 2: you do want it, you should be available. Because we
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  Speaker 2: know the impact of this flu seems to be very
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  Speaker 2: bad and lots of people are getting very sick.
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  Speaker 1: From you you make of those comments. I can't remember
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  Speaker 1: exactly what the words were, but the Chief Ministers saying
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  Speaker 1: that you know that if it's open to everybody, then
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  Speaker 1: some of the most vulnerable might not be able to
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  Speaker 1: get it.
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  Speaker 2: Well, look, I think that seems to be a bit
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  Speaker 2: of a cop out. Well, it's up to the Chief Minister,
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  Speaker 2: the charity. We don't have a great population basic We've
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  Speaker 2: only got some two hundred and fifty thousand people, so
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  Speaker 2: it's really as up to the Chief Minister to get
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  Speaker 2: that vaccine out to those vulnerable people first and make
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  Speaker 2: sure that if you want it, you've got access to it.
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  Speaker 2: We've got good row systems up here, there's planes, there's helicopters,
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  Speaker 2: so there's no reason why you can't get it out
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  Speaker 2: into those communities. And just to Catherine Tenant Creek and
• 10:19
  Speaker 2: Alice Springs as a starting point, and of course Darwin
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  Speaker 2: and Parmes and in the rural area, there's lots of
• 10:23
  Speaker 2: places who are who could be made available and on
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  Speaker 2: it easy in one day.
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  Speaker 1: Well, Jereed Mayley, the Deputy Opposition leader, I reckon it's
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: going to be a very interesting week. I'm going to
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: be fascinated to see what comes out of the estimates process.
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  Speaker 1: Do keep in contact and let us know what happens.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you, thank you, mis