Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro reveals that the NT Government has released a $30,000 dollar tender to assess damage at Howard Springs

Transcript

Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro reveals that the NT Government has released a $30,000 dollar tender to assess damage at Howard Springs · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Let's get straight into it, because joining me on the
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: line right now is the Opposition leader Leah finocchi Ara. O.
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: Good morning to you, Leah.
• 0:07
  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie, Leah.
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: Since we last spoke, there's been some more detail revealed
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: about the damage out at Howard Springs. Now after initially
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: saying that it was wear and tear out there at
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: the Center for National Resilience, we now know that there
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: is further damage. Leah. Do you think that the government
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: needs to disclose the cost of the damages out.
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: There without questioning Katie? And this is an absolute cover
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: up from the tash of files she has lied to
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: the community. She has tried to cover this up. And
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: I'm you know, need to tell your listeners Katie that
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: last week on the seventeenth, this government opened up a
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: second tender about Howard Springs and the damage out there
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: for thirty thousand dollars. What the supply labor yeap, So
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: we've got it. So we had last week I told
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: your listeners about a tender for ninety eight thousand dollars
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: that went out for new mattresses. Well, just last week
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: on the seventeenth, another tender went out for twenty four
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: hours only for thirty thousand dollars to a construction company
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: to do an assessment of the damage. This is still
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: a full week before Natash of Files admitted that there
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: was some damage out there.
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: Hang on a second, Hang on, so just let me
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: take a step back there, So thirty thousand dollars to
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: actually repair the damage or just to go in and
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: scope it out.
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: Just to scope it out. And now, if you don't
• 1:31
  Speaker 2: know if you are sending people in a construction company,
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: won that tendicating. So if you're sending in a construction
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: company at a pretty price of thirty thousand dollars to
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: conduct an assessment of damage, it means that you know
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: that there is significant structural damage. You do not send
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: in construction workers to simply replace windows or put a
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: liquor paint on something. Do you know what I mean?
• 1:57
  Speaker 3: Ye?
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: Be significant. And that's a week before Natasha Files could
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: bring herself to say that there was a little bit
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: more than wear and tear as she's been calling it.
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: And don't forget we've had Nicole Madison and Kate Warden
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: both come out and acknowledge there has been significant damage
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: out there. While our achievements the remains in denial. So
• 2:18
  Speaker 2: the bill's already one hundred and thirty grand. Katie how Yeah,
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: you know the damage must be unbelievable.
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: Well, it's just incredibly disappointing. You know, at the end
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: of the day, all that people want and I know
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: that very often, you know, people feel as though politicians
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: aren't being honest. But you know, people want to know
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: what is going on, and they want to know what's
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: happening out there at Howard Springs. They want to know
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: how much it's going to cost if there is quite
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: a lot of damage. Now I'm looking at this tender
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: as we speak. So it is Darwin supply labor to
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: conduct condition assessment inspections and related works at the flood
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: evacuation accommodation at Howard Springs. The description then supply labor
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: to conduct condition assessment inspections and related works at the
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: flood evacuation accommodation at Howard Springs. And the value of
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: that thirty thousand, four hundred and fifty six dollars. Now,
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: I'm no construction expert, but I know a lot of
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: people that listen to this show that certainly are. So
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: if you're out there listening and you want to let
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: us know a little bit more about what a tender
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: like this would actually look like. And if you are
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: being paid thirty thousand dollars, and you know, good on
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: the local company that's won this tender. I think everybody's
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: got to make sure that they're out there and they're
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: getting work. There's no issue with that, no problem with that,
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: no problem whatsoever. But the fact here is that if
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: it's costing thirty thousand dollars to get in there and
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: assess the damage, well, how much is the damage worth exactly?
• 3:48
  Speaker 2: And that is the question. And the fact that this
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: tender was opened up a week before Natasha Fharles could
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: bring herself to admit it was more than wear and tear,
• 3:57
  Speaker 2: and the fact that this tender was open twenty four
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: hours just shows that this government has had full knowledge
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: of what has been going on out there. I mean,
• 4:07
  Speaker 2: how long have we been talking about this, Katie, Probably
• 4:09
  Speaker 2: at least a month.
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: Yep.
• 4:11
  Speaker 2: Your listeners have been texting in the COLP, have been
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: raising this concern. Natasha fars has had crocodile tears about
• 4:19
  Speaker 2: how she's so disappointed about all these rumors and blah
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: blah blah, and yet here we are. We've re wrapped
• 4:26
  Speaker 2: up one hundred and thirty grand worth of tenders, let
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: alone what the actual costs are going to be to
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: fix things out there.
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: So she'd said on the show on Monday. She'd said
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: on the show on Monday, you know that there is damage.
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: It's not in the millions of dollars, but there is
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: damage out there, you know. I then had read further
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: comments that had been made where it had said basically
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: that the government is the victim of crime, is a
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: victim of this crime. Look, I just don't think that
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: it's good enough. I think that they need to be
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: open and up front about this. Nobody's suggesting that the
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: Northern Territory Government, all the ministers are the ones out
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: there causing this damage. But just be honest when something
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: like this has happened exactly.
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: People want transparency, It's what labor promised them, and instead
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: all we get is cover up. You see this absolute
• 5:14
  Speaker 2: contempt for our community to be honest with them. You
• 5:17
  Speaker 2: see no action, And for her to come out and
• 5:20
  Speaker 2: say that the government had been a victim of crime,
• 5:23
  Speaker 2: I think just left everyone's jaws on the floor. Katie.
• 5:26
  Speaker 2: Because of course we have got a crime crisis right
• 5:29
  Speaker 2: across the territory. People are suffering every single day. I
• 5:32
  Speaker 2: know in my electorate we had a spate of carthff's
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: and attempt at break in over the last couple of
• 5:37
  Speaker 2: days and that is a shared experience across our community,
• 5:41
  Speaker 2: if not worse. And then you know she's going to
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: turn around and say we're the victim. Well, no, it's
• 5:46
  Speaker 2: the community that's the victim. It's the community who puts
• 5:49
  Speaker 2: the bills this taxpayer's money, not Natasha Files's money. And
• 5:54
  Speaker 2: ultimately she has a responsibility to be open with the
• 5:57
  Speaker 2: community about how community for are being used. And this
• 6:02
  Speaker 2: has just been a cover up over what people deserve
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: to know. You've got tenders going out the door and
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: this comment of wear and tear has just fallen flat
• 6:13
  Speaker 2: on everyone.
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: Katie Lea, I do want to move along and ask
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: you about these issues of crime that we continue to
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: talk about. We know that they continued to rage on
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: yesterday in broad daylight at about one team in the afternoon,
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: police received reports of an unknown man allegedly entering a
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: service station on the Victoria Highway in Catherine South, setting
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: fire to the inside of the service station. Then fleeing
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: the scene in a Toyota Highlux with no registration plates.
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: An employee extinguished that fire prior to the arrival of
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: emergency services. Now, according to what the Northern Territory Police
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: have release, they say that CCTV depicts the offender as
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: an adult male who used a bella claver to obscure
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: his identity. The mail was driving this single cab too,
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: will have white Toyota high Lux. Anyone with info is
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: being urged to get in contact with the police. Leah,
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: what laws could be strengthened right now in your opinion
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: to avoid further situations like this, or to at least
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: try to try to discourage people from you know, engaging
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: in such crappy behavior.
• 7:23
  Speaker 2: Yeah, well, I mean it was absolutely terrifying and shocking, Katie,
• 7:26
  Speaker 2: as we're seeing in every single day. So what laws
• 7:30
  Speaker 2: could be changed? We can walk into Parliament in a
• 7:32
  Speaker 2: couple of weeks, Katie, and the CLP would one hundred
• 7:35
  Speaker 2: percent back in the government if it had the courage
• 7:38
  Speaker 2: to do so. To make breach of vow condition an event,
• 7:42
  Speaker 2: to stop the revolving door of vail by making sure
• 7:44
  Speaker 2: that there are not endless second chances, we can strength
• 7:48
  Speaker 2: and bail properly. We can make sure that we've got
• 7:52
  Speaker 2: genuine rehabilitation, so skills training, work camps, different forms of
• 7:58
  Speaker 2: corrections so that people are attually able to then leave
• 8:02
  Speaker 2: custody with a purpose in life. You know that isn't
• 8:06
  Speaker 2: being delivered. We need to have mandatory alcohol treatment so
• 8:09
  Speaker 2: that most chronically affected alcoholics are forced to stare down
• 8:14
  Speaker 2: their demons and work through those issues. I mean, there
• 8:17
  Speaker 2: are endless triggers this government could pull, including asking for
• 8:22
  Speaker 2: support by the federal police, particularly in places like Alice Springs,
• 8:26
  Speaker 2: so that our hard working territory complete police can start
• 8:30
  Speaker 2: to get on top of this. But instead our government's
• 8:33
  Speaker 2: forcing our police to be taxi drivers bearing people to
• 8:36
  Speaker 2: hospital and so bring up shelters and our hospitality industry
• 8:41
  Speaker 2: are the ones on the front line being security guards
• 8:43
  Speaker 2: and first aiders. Some of the most significant crimes we've
• 8:47
  Speaker 2: ever seen. It's just the whole place is burning to
• 8:50
  Speaker 2: the ground. Katie and Natasha Philes can't see it.
• 8:53
  Speaker 3: Leah.
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: We did have the Chief Minister on the show earlier
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: in the week. She made these comments. When it comes
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: to crime, take a listen.
• 9:00
  Speaker 3: If you look around the world, post COVID, people's behaviors
• 9:03
  Speaker 3: have changed.
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: We see what we're seeing in the Northern Territory right
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: now is a phenomenon that's being seen all around the world.
• 9:10
  Speaker 1: That is what evidence is showing us. You shann to
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: be honest. I think that that's a really embarrassing thing
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: for the government to say. And so do you think
• 9:17
  Speaker 1: what we're seeing around the streets of the Northern Territory
• 9:19
  Speaker 1: right now is okay?
• 9:20
  Speaker 2: No?
• 9:21
  Speaker 1: So what are you doing to fix it?
• 9:22
  Speaker 3: So we're working incredibly hard, giving police resources, also making
• 9:26
  Speaker 3: sure that we've got resources to back up territory families.
• 9:30
  Speaker 1: So is that enough? Is you know, giving the Northern
• 9:33
  Speaker 1: Territory Police small resources and backing up territory families enough
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: to try and sort through the crime crisis that we're
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: living through. Lea, have we lost you?
• 9:47
  Speaker 2: Oh? Sorry, no, no, I'm there. Look, I mean, what
• 9:51
  Speaker 2: can I say? Natasha Farles is out of touch, out
• 9:53
  Speaker 2: of ideas and just not listening. I mean to blame
• 9:57
  Speaker 2: COVID all these years later for what has been an
• 10:00
  Speaker 2: ever escalating crime crisis on their watch, because they are
• 10:03
  Speaker 2: the ones who disempowered police to deal with problem drunks.
• 10:07
  Speaker 2: They are the government that we can bail laws. They
• 10:09
  Speaker 2: are the government that continues to put the rights of
• 10:12
  Speaker 2: criminals above the rights of our community to be safe,
• 10:15
  Speaker 2: and she wants to come and blame COVID for her failures.
• 10:20
  Speaker 2: It does not pass any public standard, Katie. This is
• 10:25
  Speaker 2: a Chief Minister with her head in the sand. She's
• 10:28
  Speaker 2: completely out of her depth and our community is suffering
• 10:31
  Speaker 2: as a result of it. Lea.
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: Let's move along to another really large announcement that was
• 10:36
  Speaker 1: made earlier in the week that does impact us all
• 10:38
  Speaker 1: right across Australia, the Defense Strategic Review which the federal
• 10:42
  Speaker 1: government released. Now, I think the big question has been
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: what's it going to mean for the Northern Territory. Have
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: you had much of an opportunity to go through it,
• 10:49
  Speaker 1: and what do you think that it's going to mean
• 10:51
  Speaker 1: for the Northern Territory.
• 10:53
  Speaker 2: We are working through that at the moment, Katie and
• 10:55
  Speaker 2: I've certainly been in contact with the Federal Shadow Minister
• 11:00
  Speaker 2: and ultimately what we're really concerned about is what this
• 11:04
  Speaker 2: means for the territory. We know that over a significant
• 11:07
  Speaker 2: period of time we've had troops moved from Darlin Robertson
• 11:11
  Speaker 2: Barracks into State We know that the previous coalition government
• 11:16
  Speaker 2: promised over eight billion dollars in defense spending to the territory,
• 11:20
  Speaker 2: and significant works are already underway at both Kindle and
• 11:24
  Speaker 2: of course Laric here and around the territory, but that
• 11:27
  Speaker 2: all now hangs in the balance. Territorians need to know
• 11:31
  Speaker 2: that that eight billion will be spent, and they need
• 11:34
  Speaker 2: to know that we're not going to see a withdrawal
• 11:36
  Speaker 2: of troops because of course our military personnel are an
• 11:39
  Speaker 2: important part of our community and always has been, and
• 11:43
  Speaker 2: so we will be certainly making sure we're across the
• 11:45
  Speaker 2: detail and fighting for the territory to have its fair
• 11:49
  Speaker 2: share because defense is a really important part of our
• 11:52
  Speaker 2: social fabric and our economy.
• 11:54
  Speaker 1: Blee, do you reckon that it's going to that this
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: review will in any way impact our ship lift plans?
• 12:02
  Speaker 2: Well, I mean the shiplift has been impacted by a
• 12:06
  Speaker 2: hopeless government, Katie. I mean we've been to the colp
• 12:09
  Speaker 2: set money aside for the shiplift back I think in
• 12:12
  Speaker 2: twenty fifteen, and we're still talking about it. So you know,
• 12:16
  Speaker 2: the ship lift is a critical project that should already
• 12:19
  Speaker 2: be operating and this government have just bungled it but
• 12:22
  Speaker 2: again it's another significant project that may be impacted by
• 12:27
  Speaker 2: this review that you know, the territory, more than any
• 12:30
  Speaker 2: other state or territory, has the most to lose out
• 12:34
  Speaker 2: of this, and that's something we want to fiercely guard
• 12:36
  Speaker 2: and protect because the economic benefit is important we need.
• 12:41
  Speaker 2: You know, we know that work is trickling down to
• 12:44
  Speaker 2: tradees and right across the territory. But we also know
• 12:47
  Speaker 2: that the territory is a really important strategic spot in
• 12:52
  Speaker 2: our country and in our world and in our region.
• 12:54
  Speaker 2: And so this government, both territory and federally need to
• 12:58
  Speaker 2: be respecting the place world that we hold and ensuring
• 13:02
  Speaker 2: that the territory does remain to be that point of
• 13:04
  Speaker 2: strategic advantage, and also that that expenditure of that eight
• 13:08
  Speaker 2: billion dollars continues to come through.
• 13:11
  Speaker 1: Leah, before I let you go, this one's so I
• 13:13
  Speaker 1: guess it's more a council issue, but I'm just keen
• 13:15
  Speaker 1: to get your take on it because it is something
• 13:17
  Speaker 1: that a lot of people are already messaging us about
• 13:19
  Speaker 1: this morning. It's this proposed v park there at Bundilla Beach.
• 13:24
  Speaker 1: So the Lord mayor basically or the Darwen City Council
• 13:28
  Speaker 1: saying that the Darwin community, they're inviting people to have
• 13:31
  Speaker 1: their say on this proposed trial for a recreational vehicle
• 13:34
  Speaker 1: park at Bundla Beach at Fanny Bay. If supported, that
• 13:37
  Speaker 1: trial would run throughout twenty twenty three's peak. Visit a
• 13:40
  Speaker 1: period and see around twenty r vs pull up stumps
• 13:44
  Speaker 1: at Bundela Beach. Do you reckon this is a good idea?
• 13:48
  Speaker 2: Well, it's an interesting one, I have to say. I mean,
• 13:51
  Speaker 2: activation is always good because it provides that passive security
• 13:57
  Speaker 2: twenty four hours a day. So from that perspective, equally,
• 14:00
  Speaker 2: if it means we're going to get more tourist to
• 14:02
  Speaker 2: the territory, than good. But I think Council have had
• 14:05
  Speaker 2: a lot of plans for that space. I think at
• 14:07
  Speaker 2: one point we were talking about a serf part going
• 14:10
  Speaker 2: in there, Kadi and all manner of other things. But
• 14:13
  Speaker 2: I was thinking, and your listeners will love this, maybe
• 14:15
  Speaker 2: the government can put a shadler another Shadler's shade structure
• 14:19
  Speaker 2: over that area at Bungdilla Beach and people can go
• 14:22
  Speaker 2: there and get a squatchy tan.
• 14:24
  Speaker 1: No thank you, no, thank you? That idea, no thank you.
• 14:31
  Speaker 1: Another really quick one, now this is one that I
• 14:33
  Speaker 1: know a few people are pretty worried about. The Lord
• 14:37
  Speaker 1: Bear conbat Scaralis that actually raised this with us last week,
• 14:40
  Speaker 1: and you may have seen the notice in the Northern
• 14:42
  Speaker 1: Territory News on the weekend for provisional heritage listing for
• 14:47
  Speaker 1: the whole of the Esplanate.
• 14:50
  Speaker 2: Ridiculous. I mean, you know this, if that goes through,
• 14:56
  Speaker 2: this government will really need to take a good hard
• 14:58
  Speaker 2: look at itself in the mirror, because ultimately, our Esplanade
• 15:02
  Speaker 2: is a beautiful, iconic part of our CBD, and to
• 15:06
  Speaker 2: heritage list it it means we're going to stop tourism opportunities,
• 15:11
  Speaker 2: stop any future enhancement of that space. You know, there's
• 15:15
  Speaker 2: been so much talk over so many years around increasing
• 15:18
  Speaker 2: the number of board walks or lookout and other things,
• 15:22
  Speaker 2: you know, activating it. Perhaps we've you know, we've just
• 15:24
  Speaker 2: seen it a toilet block being built in there recently,
• 15:26
  Speaker 2: all that playground, you know, continuing to enhance and activate
• 15:30
  Speaker 2: that space is a really important part of our city.
• 15:34
  Speaker 2: And so I think it's going to be a disaster
• 15:37
  Speaker 2: if Natasha Files doesn't show leadership when it comes to
• 15:41
  Speaker 2: this application, because you know, the Esplanade will then be
• 15:45
  Speaker 2: set in stone forever and we can all watch the
• 15:48
  Speaker 2: weeds grow. Maybe the weeds from her guard, and that
• 15:50
  Speaker 2: grow faster than the vines on the shade structure. Patia,
• 15:53
  Speaker 2: I don't know, but well great in the right message.
• 15:57
  Speaker 1: Leaf and Occhio, the opposition leader for the Northern Territory.
• 16:01
  Speaker 1: Always good to speak to you. Thanks so much for
• 16:03
  Speaker 1: your time this morning.
• 16:04
  Speaker 2: No worries, take care everyone.
• 16:06
  Speaker 1: Thank you.