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Katie Woolf spoke with Health Minister Natasha Fyles · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: You're listening to Mix one oh four point nine three sixty.
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  Speaker 1: Now it is set to be a very busy morning
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  Speaker 1: with the first day of Parliament sitting for twenty twenty one,
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  Speaker 1: and what a day it's set to be with the
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  Speaker 1: Chief Minister and his Labor team still in denial over
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  Speaker 1: the alleged cocaine sex scandal in broiling their party. Now
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  Speaker 1: joining me on the line is the Health Minister Attasha Files.
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  Speaker 1: Good morning Minister, Good morning Katie, Good morning listeners. Minister.
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  Speaker 1: Does the Chief Minister just need to address these allegations?
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  Speaker 2: So, Katie, what we saw on Sunday was a very
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  Speaker 2: unusual situation where the leader of the opposition put out
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  Speaker 2: a statement based on rumor. Everyone loves will train her
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  Speaker 2: in the paper, but these are Internet room is. If
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  Speaker 2: she's got the fact, she needs to stump up with
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  Speaker 2: them publicly or take them to the police.
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  Speaker 1: All right. Yesterday on the show NT Labor President Erina
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  Speaker 1: Early had this to say, bear with me a moment.
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  Speaker 2: If he doesn't address them, people will jump up and down.
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  Speaker 2: But I think anything that could impact the cagnty of
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  Speaker 2: the party does need to be in dressed.
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  Speaker 1: This really does impact the integrity of the party. Surely
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  Speaker 1: the Chief Minister does need to address the situation.
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  Speaker 2: Katie. What we have presently is rumors and innuendo, and
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  Speaker 2: we need the leader of the Opposition to provide those facts,
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  Speaker 2: either within the parliament or to the police. Otherwise this
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  Speaker 2: is simply rumor and speculation.
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  Speaker 1: Is the party in disagreement over this situation.
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  Speaker 2: Katie, I've made the point quite clear. There's lots and
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  Speaker 2: lots of rumors, there's lots and lots of talk in
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  Speaker 2: a small community. But the leader of the Opposition even
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  Speaker 2: needs to provide those facts if, as she's mentioned, they're
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  Speaker 2: very serious to police or within the parliament. So we
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  Speaker 2: won't be commenting on rumors. We'll be getting on with
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  Speaker 2: the job of governing.
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  Speaker 1: Minister. Have you spoken to your colleagues about this?
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  Speaker 2: So, Katie, I've spoken to my colleagues, but not specifically
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  Speaker 2: about this. This is rumors and innuendo. There is nothing
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  Speaker 2: factual that's been presented, and if anyone has any facts
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  Speaker 2: they need to take them to the police. That if
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  Speaker 2: it is what has been talked about.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, should the Chief Minister and ministers come out
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  Speaker 1: though and just say, look, if illicit drugs have been
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  Speaker 1: used by anyone in my team, I will take action
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  Speaker 1: as it's illegal.
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  Speaker 2: So Katie, I can't say it any different. If the
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  Speaker 2: leader of the opposition has back, she even needs to
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  Speaker 2: take those to a police if it is of a
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  Speaker 2: criminal nature, or she has the opportunity to present it
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  Speaker 2: in Parliament. But we'll get on with the job of
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  Speaker 2: the important work that's ahead of us.
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  Speaker 1: All right. I can see you're not going to stray
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  Speaker 1: away from those lines there, Ministers, So let's move along
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  Speaker 1: and talk about this vaccine roll out. When is the
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  Speaker 1: first shipment set to arrive?
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  Speaker 2: So, Katie, it was very exciting yesterday to see the
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  Speaker 2: vaccine arrive in Australia. It's now going through a quadit
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  Speaker 2: quality assurance process to make sure that during its flights
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  Speaker 2: over from Europe there's been no disruptions for that cold
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  Speaker 2: supply chain and we expect to receive it in the
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  Speaker 2: Northern Territory next week and we will begin to vaccinate
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  Speaker 2: those frontline workers here in that first one a next
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  Speaker 2: week at Rozaland Hospital.
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  Speaker 1: And is it the PFIZA or the astras Nka's vaccine.
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  Speaker 2: So this is the fires of vaccine, Katie. The astrazeneicon
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  Speaker 2: vaccine hasn't been approved by the Therapeutics Goods Administration yet
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  Speaker 2: the Commonwealth are still working through that, but this is
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  Speaker 2: the fires of vaccine. It's been approved, it's safe, it's
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  Speaker 2: proven to be effective, and so we'll now begin that
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  Speaker 2: rollout across the Northern Territory. But just to reassure territorians, Katie,
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  Speaker 2: we've got the ability to take the time to get
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  Speaker 2: this right. We don't have community transmission, we don't have
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  Speaker 2: coronavirus in our community, and so we'll be starting with
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  Speaker 2: those frontline health professionals who have been deemed at most
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  Speaker 2: at risk and then we'll keep working through the matrix
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  Speaker 2: of people from there.
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  Speaker 1: And so how many Territorians are you expecting will be
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  Speaker 1: be vaccinated per week?
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  Speaker 2: So, Katie, we're expecting around a thousand Territorians within the
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  Speaker 2: first phase of one A. So that's four thousand vaccinations
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  Speaker 2: over a four week period, and that'll be about three
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  Speaker 2: thousand Territorians because people that receive the vaccine in the
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  Speaker 2: first week their first dose. By the fourth week, they
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  Speaker 2: will receive their second dose and be fully vaccinated. As
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  Speaker 2: well as continuing that rollout, and.
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  Speaker 1: Who's going to administer the vaccine is it something that's
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  Speaker 1: going to have to happen at the hospital or is
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  Speaker 1: it going to be a situation where you can go
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  Speaker 1: and get it at a pharmacy or somewhere else.
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  Speaker 2: So, Katie, initially it will be at that Rodzalan Hospital site,
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  Speaker 2: and then it's in the second phases onwards. The Commonwealth
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  Speaker 2: Government are looking at working with pharmacists and gps to
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  Speaker 2: roll out the vaccine to the broader community. But that
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  Speaker 2: initial phase one A will be done at Rozalan Hospital.
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  Speaker 2: There's quality assurance getting used to rolling out this vaccine,
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  Speaker 2: but also we need to make sure we don't waste
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  Speaker 2: any vaccine. So we will have those frontline workers, but
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  Speaker 2: if someone's unable to attend for a reason, there'll be
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  Speaker 2: other people that can jump into that spot. So we
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  Speaker 2: need to make sure that we get this vaccine to
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  Speaker 2: those people most at risk, which is our frontline.
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  Speaker 1: Workers, all right, Minister. The Northern Territory Police and Public
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  Speaker 1: Health officials are investigating up to thirty eight potential breaches
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  Speaker 1: of self isolation directions since Friday's declaration of the Greater
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  Speaker 1: Melbourne area as a hotspot. Now officials have conducted two
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  Speaker 1: hundred and seventy compliance checks since Friday with thirty eight
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  Speaker 1: additional cases requiring investigation. What kind of risk does this
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  Speaker 1: place Territorians in?
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  Speaker 2: So, Katie, I just want to make two points in
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  Speaker 2: answering your question. And before I do that, we have
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  Speaker 2: this morning lifted the Tullamarine Hotspots declaration. So what that
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  Speaker 2: means is the Melbourne Airport is no longer considered a
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  Speaker 2: hot spot and people can transit through that. So they
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  Speaker 2: might come from Tasmania to the airport very strict transiting requirements,
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  Speaker 2: and they can come through to Darwin. People cannot come
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  Speaker 2: from Melbourne because the greater Melbourne metropolitan area is still
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  Speaker 2: a hot spot. In terms of these individuals, it is
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  Speaker 2: extremely disappointing. It will only take one person thinking they
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  Speaker 2: can just pop to Wooli thinking NA can just do
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  Speaker 2: something and that we could potentially seeking in new transmission
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  Speaker 2: of this virus. Police have identified thirty eight people that
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  Speaker 2: were supposed to be in self isolation. But I've spoken
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  Speaker 2: to the Police Commission this morning and his officers and
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  Speaker 2: I'd just like to acknowledge those people out following up
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  Speaker 2: on these people that are meant to be in self
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  Speaker 2: isolation and that hard job. So they've spoken with a
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  Speaker 2: number of them, and they do have a valid reason
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  Speaker 2: of getting their COVID tests for example. So police, this
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  Speaker 2: is a warning if you're meant to be in self isolation,
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  Speaker 2: police will come knocking on your door, so make sure
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  Speaker 2: you're there or you're getting your COVID test or medical
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  Speaker 2: supplies of medical.
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  Speaker 1: Help and so, so what you're saying is with those
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  Speaker 1: thirty eight potential breaches, it actually hasn't turned out to
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  Speaker 1: be thirty eight potential breaches.
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  Speaker 2: Police will be able to provide you with the specific numbers,
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  Speaker 2: but as I understand from talking to the commissioner, there
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  Speaker 2: won't be thirty eight fine issue because a number of
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  Speaker 2: those have been followed up and they've had a valid
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  Speaker 2: reason for not being present when police visited upon them.
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  Speaker 1: What steem does a valid reason like going to the
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  Speaker 1: doctor or correct.
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  Speaker 2: Katie, So pretty much the only valid reasons are seeking
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  Speaker 2: medical help or getting their test their COVID nineteen tests,
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  Speaker 2: because these were people that were already in the territory
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  Speaker 2: when the hot spot was declared and they are required
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  Speaker 2: to immediately self isolate and get tested and then isolate
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  Speaker 2: until they got a negative test result back.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, minister, let's talk about Parliament. We know that Parliament
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  Speaker 1: does resume today. What bills are set to be introduced
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  Speaker 1: in these sittings, So.
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  Speaker 2: Katie, we will be introducing on urgency an amendment to
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  Speaker 2: the Medicines, Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Act, and this will
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  Speaker 2: allow us to roll out the COVID nineteen vaccination right
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  Speaker 2: across the Northern Territory. Presently a location has to be
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  Speaker 2: gazetted for someone to receive a vaccine. What this will
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  Speaker 2: allow is for the Chief Health Officer to issue the
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  Speaker 2: vaccine at a range of locations. So it's very much
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  Speaker 2: designed about being agile and getting that vaccine right out
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  Speaker 2: across our community.
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  Speaker 1: And is there I understand that there is also going
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  Speaker 1: to be legislation around youth crime and some of the
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  Speaker 1: terrible issues that we've seen around youth crime in the territory.
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  Speaker 2: So yes, the first parliamentary sittings will see us introduce
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  Speaker 2: an amendment to the Criminal co And this is a
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  Speaker 2: round ringleader. So the purpose of this bill is to
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  Speaker 2: create a new offense where someone recruits a child to
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  Speaker 2: engage in criminal activity, and it's around targeting those offenders
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  Speaker 2: who undertake crimes in a group situation and they may
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  Speaker 2: encourage particularly children into that committing that crime so that
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  Speaker 2: they can't say that they didn't do it. They will
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  Speaker 2: now be viable as well.
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  Speaker 1: All right, we have certainly put in a request over
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  Speaker 1: the last few days to speak to the Police Minister
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  Speaker 1: in more depth about that legislation. I am keen still
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  Speaker 1: to do that, so we'll certainly ask some more questions
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  Speaker 1: of her office. Minister. As I mentioned at the start
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  Speaker 1: of the interview, there's no doubt that this situation which
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  Speaker 1: is playing out in the media at the moment around
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  Speaker 1: this scandal, is going to be raised in Parliament if
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  Speaker 1: there is evidence to support, you know, these allegations of
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  Speaker 1: cocaine and a sex scandal, how will the leadership team react.
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  Speaker 2: Criminal activity is a criminal activity. It doesn't matter who
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  Speaker 2: you are. But right now we have rumor and innuendo.
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  Speaker 2: But if people have facts and information, they must prevent
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  Speaker 2: that to the police. There is also the opportunity of
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  Speaker 2: parliament this week, but we're focused, as you can see,
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  Speaker 2: on keeping territory in safe, rolling out the coronavirus vaccine
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  Speaker 2: and will continue to do that work.
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  Speaker 1: The Labor Party was incredibly critical of the Giles government
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  Speaker 1: when they are in power when they had a scandal
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  Speaker 1: which I think we'll all recall, a video involving a
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  Speaker 1: lewd act. I mean, if there are photos, or if
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  Speaker 1: there are you know what some could deem as being
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  Speaker 1: sexually inappropriate things happening or you know, going on again,
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  Speaker 1: how will that leadership team react.
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  Speaker 2: I don't want to sound like a broken record, but
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  Speaker 2: I'm not going to comment on what is just rumor.
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  Speaker 2: If someone has evidence, they need to bring that forward.
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  Speaker 2: We saw the leader of the opposition put out a
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  Speaker 2: statement on Sunday the eight hours later. We haven't seen
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  Speaker 2: any evidence. She simply put out a statement based on rumor,
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  Speaker 2: and I call on her to bring forward any information
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  Speaker 2: she may have.
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  Speaker 1: Well, Minister for Health and also Tourism, Natasha Files. We
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  Speaker 1: will leave it there. Thank you very much for your
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  Speaker 1: time today.
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  Speaker 2: Thanks Katie.
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  Speaker 1: You're listening to Mix one oh four point nine's three
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  Speaker 1: sixty