Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Opposition leader Lia Finocchiaro says the CLP's fuel disclosure bill will force fuel retailers to publish their profits

Transcript

Opposition leader Lia Finocchiaro says the CLP's fuel disclosure bill will force fuel retailers to publish their profits · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Joining me in the studio right now, as she does
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: every Tuesday morning.
• 0:03
  Speaker 2: It is the Opposition leader Leah fanocchiar O.
• 0:05
  Speaker 3: Goodbrding to you lead morning, Katie and to everyone out
• 0:08
  Speaker 3: there in this wet and rainy day.
• 0:09
  Speaker 2: Yeah nice, real change? Is that nice? And cool?
• 0:11
  Speaker 4: You're missing out, Alice.
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: Now now, Leah, we know that that obviously these petrol prices,
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: they are concern for everybody, There's no doubt about that.
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: The Opposition is today set to brief the Northern Territory
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: Government on your fuel Disclosure Bill, which you are going
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: to be presenting, as I understand it to Parliament next week.
• 0:32
  Speaker 4: Yes, that's right. It's a really exciting day.
• 0:34
  Speaker 3: So I'll be briefing Minister Eva Laula a little later
• 0:38
  Speaker 3: this morning on our fuel disclosure legislation and what it's
• 0:41
  Speaker 3: designed to do is breathe transparency and accountability into the
• 0:45
  Speaker 3: fuel retailers. We know the A Triple C made a
• 0:48
  Speaker 3: number of recommendations back in twenty seventeen and one of
• 0:51
  Speaker 3: them was this legislation which would essentially force retailers to
• 0:55
  Speaker 3: have to publish their profits, which is you know that
• 0:58
  Speaker 3: will make a lot of people really uncomfortable, but fuel
• 1:01
  Speaker 3: is one of those commodities that really make the world
• 1:05
  Speaker 3: go round. Ultimately, if you can't put fuel in your
• 1:07
  Speaker 3: car and buses, in delivery vehicles, in your plumbing van,
• 1:11
  Speaker 3: in your truck at transporting food, you know that the
• 1:15
  Speaker 3: prices impact every aspect of our life, and so honesty
• 1:19
  Speaker 3: and transparency and fuel pricing is critical, particularly at a
• 1:22
  Speaker 3: time when that excise is going to hit hard.
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: Leah, I think that everybody listening this morning would agree
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: that they actually want the opposition and the government to
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: agree on this one, for there to be that bipartisan approach.
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: So what are you going to be saying this morning
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: to the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure also the Treasurer
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: Evil Laula, to try to get her across the line.
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 1:42
  Speaker 3: Well, the legislation itself is very very simple and it
• 1:45
  Speaker 3: actually genuinely requires government to come on board.
• 1:48
  Speaker 4: This isn't something that can just pass.
• 1:49
  Speaker 3: A lot of detail will actually be developed through the regulations,
• 1:53
  Speaker 3: which of course requires government. You know, as an opposition,
• 1:56
  Speaker 3: we're a very very small team. We don't have government
• 1:58
  Speaker 3: departments working for us. You know, for this to work,
• 2:01
  Speaker 3: it will require government to come on board and say well, yes,
• 2:03
  Speaker 3: this is something that's going to re transparency and drive
• 2:06
  Speaker 3: down fuel prices, and I think that's what everyone wants.
• 2:09
  Speaker 3: So I'll be certainly explaining to Eva how government can
• 2:12
  Speaker 3: be sculpting this as much as we have. It's not
• 2:14
  Speaker 3: about whose idea it was, it's about doing something good
• 2:17
  Speaker 3: for the community.
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: So you're prepared to sort of you're not going in
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: all guns blazing, You're prepared to have a good chat
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: with them about you can change it and how you
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: can make sure that this goes.
• 2:25
  Speaker 3: Through absolutely, And all legislation is like that. We might
• 2:29
  Speaker 3: pitch something, whether it's our crime legislation, our economic legislation,
• 2:32
  Speaker 3: or on fuel, but government can always amend or improve,
• 2:36
  Speaker 3: you know, there's all of that should be happening in Parliament.
• 2:38
  Speaker 3: Instead traditionally they just knock us down. And what I
• 2:40
  Speaker 3: want to say to Eva Laula today is the principle
• 2:44
  Speaker 3: is solid, the legislation is solid. How can we make
• 2:46
  Speaker 3: it better? How do you want to put your stamp
• 2:48
  Speaker 3: on this? But ultimately we need to walk away next
• 2:51
  Speaker 3: Wednesday from Parliament having debated and passed legislation that is
• 2:55
  Speaker 3: going to drive down the price of fuel.
• 2:56
  Speaker 4: That's my goal.
• 2:57
  Speaker 3: I don't care what it looks like when it comes
• 2:59
  Speaker 3: out on when day, But if we can secure that
• 3:02
  Speaker 3: for Territorians, we're going to start to ease cost of
• 3:04
  Speaker 3: living pressure on people and start to really put pressure
• 3:08
  Speaker 3: back on retailers that they have a very significant responsibility
• 3:12
  Speaker 3: to be making sure that they're making a profit, absolutely,
• 3:15
  Speaker 3: but that it's fair and reasonable.
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: Lea, is the reality here that even with this legislation
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: that we're not going to see those prices come down.
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: I mean, are you just grandstanding here or going for
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: a cheap political point. No.
• 3:26
  Speaker 4: I think this is something that has worked in the past.
• 3:29
  Speaker 3: We know, the previous CLP government introduces legislation, it didn't
• 3:33
  Speaker 3: end up passing before the change of government in twenty sixteen,
• 3:36
  Speaker 3: but we saw fuel prices drop twenty thirty forty cents.
• 3:39
  Speaker 3: It was amazing at the time. And ultimately this we
• 3:42
  Speaker 3: didn't make this up. It came from a recommendation of
• 3:45
  Speaker 3: the a Triple C and I think we've got to try.
• 3:47
  Speaker 3: You know, I really do believe it will drive down
• 3:50
  Speaker 3: fuel prices. But you know, if nothing else, it's going
• 3:52
  Speaker 3: to certainly have an element of transparency and accountability, which
• 3:56
  Speaker 3: gives more power to people purchasing fuel and also we'll
• 4:01
  Speaker 3: really show for all to see whether.
• 4:03
  Speaker 4: Or not there is goaging at the bowser.
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: Well, I'm very keen to hear from our listeners this
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: morning that number if you'd like to text through zero
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: four double nine seven double one three six zero. Do
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: you want to see this bill go through? The fuel
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: disclosure bill? Do you think it would make a difference,
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: Love to hear your thoughts.
• 4:19
  Speaker 2: Now, Leah.
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: Moving along the police associations calling on the Northern Territory
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: government to get to the negotiating table when it comes
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: to this pay freeze. Now, I want to ask you
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: specifically about the police because we know in Queensland offices
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: have been offered an eleven percent pay rise over three
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: years plus up to an additional three percent per year
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: if CPI exceeds annual wage increases, in addition other improvements
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: to allow will to allowances and superannuation all equal. An
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: offer which recognizes the importance and of attraction and retention
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: is what the association saying.
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: Lea. Do you think that you know.
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: That what they're offering in Queensland is reasonable or what
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: would you do if if you're in charge here.
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: And if you were at the negotiating title.
• 5:02
  Speaker 3: Yes, certainly Queensland have come out with that offer, which
• 5:06
  Speaker 3: you know, I know, speaking to police over the last
• 5:08
  Speaker 3: week or so as certainly raised eyebrows in a good way.
• 5:12
  Speaker 3: It's a very attractive deal and I think this is
• 5:15
  Speaker 3: a huge problem for the territory, you know, and that's
• 5:18
  Speaker 3: why we've been very clear right from the start we
• 5:20
  Speaker 3: don't support a pay freeze for any public servants and
• 5:22
  Speaker 3: of course that includes our hard working police. And we
• 5:26
  Speaker 3: back Paul mcew and the association's calls for government to
• 5:29
  Speaker 3: sit at the table. They need to just stop fighting
• 5:32
  Speaker 3: this and stop digging their heels in.
• 5:34
  Speaker 4: The payfreeze was a Michael Gunner brain, you.
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: Know, normally it was actually a recommendation of Langolan from
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: that not no.
• 5:45
  Speaker 3: It wasn't a recommendation of Langoland at all. Langolande recommended
• 5:48
  Speaker 3: real wages growth of one thousand dollars per year, which
• 5:52
  Speaker 3: would then attract all of the you know, superannuation and
• 5:55
  Speaker 3: you're leaving all those other entitlements. So this, the pay freeze,
• 5:59
  Speaker 3: is a Michael Gunner construct. Natasha Files has come in
• 6:02
  Speaker 3: and is continuing with it. But you know, our corrections officers,
• 6:05
  Speaker 3: our nurses, our fieries, our teachers, our police.
• 6:08
  Speaker 4: No one wants this thing.
• 6:10
  Speaker 3: It's not possible with inflation and cost of living the
• 6:12
  Speaker 3: way it is, so we fully support genuine negotiations at
• 6:16
  Speaker 3: the table for real way disgrowth.
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: I mean, the fact is here though, How on earth
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: could we offer an eleven percent pay rise over three
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: years in the Northern territory when we don't have the
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: money for it.
• 6:26
  Speaker 4: Well, this is the other problem.
• 6:27
  Speaker 3: When you blow all your money like a child in
• 6:30
  Speaker 3: a candy store, you don't have money for the really
• 6:32
  Speaker 3: important things. And all of the government's mistakes over the
• 6:34
  Speaker 3: last six years are really coming home to roots.
• 6:37
  Speaker 4: But what is the price of losing even more?
• 6:39
  Speaker 3: Police attrition is at eleven percent, we can't put through
• 6:43
  Speaker 3: enough police in the college as a leaving out the
• 6:46
  Speaker 3: other side. And I think what's going to be really
• 6:48
  Speaker 3: interesting is if people jump ship to Queensland and we
• 6:51
  Speaker 3: see a mass exodus.
• 6:52
  Speaker 2: Do you think that's going to happen?
• 6:54
  Speaker 3: I'm really yeah, I'm genuinely concerned about it. You get
• 6:57
  Speaker 3: to the end of the year, people discuss with their
• 6:59
  Speaker 3: family what do we do next year? You know, being
• 7:02
  Speaker 3: a copper in the Territory police force is really hard.
• 7:04
  Speaker 3: We know eighty percent don't support the Commissioner as a
• 7:08
  Speaker 3: result of that survey. We know ninety percent don't support
• 7:10
  Speaker 3: the pay freeze. We know ninety percent don't feel there
• 7:13
  Speaker 3: are enough police. We know morale is low. All of
• 7:16
  Speaker 3: these things and when you know you put a big
• 7:18
  Speaker 3: offer on the table like Queensland have, I'm really scared
• 7:21
  Speaker 3: we're going to lose, have a big surge of losses.
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: Well, we also spoke to the Police Association yesterday about
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: the issue of crime, particularly in Alice Springs. Now what
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: we know from overnight is an elderly man's reportedly fighting
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: for his life in hospital after an alleged aggravated assault
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: in Alice Springs last night. So according to the Northern
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: Territory News, emergency services were called to the scene out
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: the front of the ABC and Alice Springs on Gap
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: Road at about nine forty. The Southern Watch Commander has
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: said that the Alice Springs man suffered severe injuries in
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: the alleged assault. Now we are going to be catching
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: up with the Assistant Commissioner in about twenty minutes time
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: to find out some further detail. Leah, it's It's not
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: yet known if the alleged assault involved one person or
• 8:03
  Speaker 1: a group, or whether they were known to the man,
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: But this is another shocking incident no matter how you
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: look at it. What do you make of the situation
• 8:11
  Speaker 1: in Alice Springs right now?
• 8:12
  Speaker 3: Oh, that's just heartbreaking news, Katie, And certainly my thoughts
• 8:16
  Speaker 3: are with the man fighting for his life and his
• 8:18
  Speaker 3: family of course would be traumatized by this. But you know,
• 8:22
  Speaker 3: it's just another example of things being completely out of
• 8:26
  Speaker 3: control in the Red Center and it's heartbreaking for that community.
• 8:30
  Speaker 3: You know, you've got to be down there to feel
• 8:32
  Speaker 3: the distress in people, the way people are changing their
• 8:35
  Speaker 3: lives and how they live because of how crime is
• 8:38
  Speaker 3: just taking over.
• 8:39
  Speaker 4: And Alice Springs is such a beautiful place.
• 8:41
  Speaker 3: It is that, you know, the spiritual home of our nation,
• 8:44
  Speaker 3: and yet people there don't feel safe just doing everyday
• 8:47
  Speaker 3: activities and it's being dominated by this crime That is
• 8:51
  Speaker 3: not a crime wave, it is a crime crisis. An
• 8:53
  Speaker 3: urgent attention needs to be put on it.
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: Do you think that the government is taking this as
• 8:57
  Speaker 1: seriously as they should be. I mean, we know that
• 8:59
  Speaker 1: they're the review that was being conducted as I understand
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: it by Janick Kerr. There is some work happening in
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: this space, but do you think that there is as
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: much urgency to this issue as there needs to be
• 9:10
  Speaker 1: right now?
• 9:11
  Speaker 4: Absolutely not.
• 9:12
  Speaker 3: And I think my colleague Josh Bergoin, a member for
• 9:14
  Speaker 3: Brackling down there, said it well this week, when you
• 9:17
  Speaker 3: know you've got Naria Kit jumping up and down on
• 9:20
  Speaker 3: behalf of people in malacc and Kurama and bang there's
• 9:22
  Speaker 3: a million bucks for security in two suburbs, where's the
• 9:26
  Speaker 3: security for Alice Springs. I mean, you would need to
• 9:28
  Speaker 3: have a security team in every single suburb. It's completely
• 9:31
  Speaker 3: out of control and this government just is like out
• 9:35
  Speaker 3: of sight, out of mind for Alice.
• 9:37
  Speaker 1: One thing that he's been questioned, and certainly Paul McHugh
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: from the Police Association spoke to us about this yesterday
• 9:44
  Speaker 1: is the misuse of alcohol. Now, obviously we know that
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: alcohol has a huge impact right around the Northern Territory,
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: whether it's Alice Springs or anywhere else. But he told
• 9:55
  Speaker 1: us yesterday on the show that there was two hundred
• 9:57
  Speaker 1: and seventeen refusals per day on bottle shops on average,
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: so that's more than ninety percent of those refusals were
• 10:04
  Speaker 1: for intoxication. Now there are fifteen parties as I understand it,
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: on those bottle shops. There's funding for forty two of them. Now,
• 10:13
  Speaker 1: when there's not enough of those parties on the bottle shops,
• 10:16
  Speaker 1: constables step in to do that role.
• 10:18
  Speaker 2: According to the Association.
• 10:20
  Speaker 1: Now that is since the Stronger Future's legislation ended about
• 10:23
  Speaker 1: seventy days ago. LEA, do you think that we need
• 10:26
  Speaker 1: to reassist having those parties on bottle shops? I mean,
• 10:29
  Speaker 1: should that be the role of security rather than having
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: security patrolling straits.
• 10:35
  Speaker 3: Well, this is the big debate we had right at
• 10:37
  Speaker 3: the start when the Riley Review actually didn't recommend police
• 10:40
  Speaker 3: on bottle shops at all. They recommended licensing inspectors. Now,
• 10:44
  Speaker 3: the government came up with the PALI program, which has
• 10:46
  Speaker 3: been highly effective, and the CLP has always supported police
• 10:49
  Speaker 3: on bottle shops.
• 10:50
  Speaker 4: Don't get me wrong.
• 10:52
  Speaker 3: But you know, whether or not there's a different role
• 10:54
  Speaker 3: for the private sector to be able to play has
• 10:57
  Speaker 3: to be looked at, particularly with our police attrition numbers.
• 11:00
  Speaker 3: But you know, and I've certainly been to alice beings,
• 11:02
  Speaker 3: I've gone to bottle shops and seen constables standing there
• 11:05
  Speaker 3: and you know, there's crime happening just down the street,
• 11:07
  Speaker 3: and yet you've got this resource standing at a bottle shop. Now,
• 11:10
  Speaker 3: the fact that since the end of the Stronger Futures
• 11:12
  Speaker 3: legislation we've seen a quadrupling of the number of refusals
• 11:17
  Speaker 3: shows just how serious this alcohol issue is and that
• 11:20
  Speaker 3: the government completely pulled the rug out from underneath territorians
• 11:24
  Speaker 3: without doing proper consultation and planning for the expiration of
• 11:28
  Speaker 3: that legislature.
• 11:28
  Speaker 1: Do you think we should be reviewing having those palis
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: on bottle shops.
• 11:32
  Speaker 3: I think we absolutely need palis on bottle shops. Whether
• 11:35
  Speaker 3: we can bolster that with you know, some sort of
• 11:38
  Speaker 3: private sector mechanism, it should be looked at. But we
• 11:41
  Speaker 3: absolutely should not remove palis and want to be very
• 11:44
  Speaker 3: very clear about that. They have the most profound impact.
• 11:47
  Speaker 3: You know, the minimum flaw price is shown to just
• 11:50
  Speaker 3: you know, push people onto harder spirits. A BDR has
• 11:53
  Speaker 3: some effectiveness, but could be made a lot better. The
• 11:56
  Speaker 3: government's reluctant to review it for some reason. So you know,
• 12:00
  Speaker 3: so there are are minimal measures that are actually working
• 12:04
  Speaker 3: in palis is absolutely one that does so.
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: Certainly keep them on the bottle shops. I mean, what
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: do you make though of what Paul mckeue said. The
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: constables are then being forced to stand on those bottle
• 12:14
  Speaker 1: shops rather than being able to do their jobs on
• 12:16
  Speaker 1: the ground.
• 12:16
  Speaker 4: And see that's a problem, that is an absolute problem.
• 12:19
  Speaker 3: And that is where you know, Alice Springs is funded
• 12:21
  Speaker 3: for forty two spots, why they're only fifteen. You know,
• 12:24
  Speaker 3: this is a question for police command but also the
• 12:26
  Speaker 3: Police Minister because resourcing is clearly not adequate for our
• 12:30
  Speaker 3: police force. And again that attrition means they probably cannot
• 12:33
  Speaker 3: recruit enough palies to fill these jobs. And this is
• 12:37
  Speaker 3: a major major problem which it stems right back to
• 12:40
  Speaker 3: too much crime. People don't want to do that job.
• 12:43
  Speaker 3: Pay freeze people don't want to do that job.
• 12:45
  Speaker 2: And so the.
• 12:45
  Speaker 4: Government's really got to look at it.
• 12:47
  Speaker 3: All of its policy positioning is leading us into this
• 12:51
  Speaker 3: downward spiral. It's not just one thing, it's multiple problems,
• 12:54
  Speaker 3: and the government just keep bearing its head in the sand.
• 12:57
  Speaker 3: They don't want to they don't want to tackle this
• 12:59
  Speaker 3: major issue.
• 13:00
  Speaker 1: Leah Finocchio, we are going to have to leave it there.
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: We've run out of time. As always, appreciate your time
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: this morning. We'll talk to you again very soon.
• 13:06
  Speaker 4: Thanks everyone, take care, Thank you.