Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Opposition Leader Lia Finochiarro says she hasn't supported the ALP's liquor amendment legislation as it has been rushed, and lacks consultation

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Opposition Leader Lia Finochiarro says she hasn't supported the ALP's liquor amendment legislation as it has been rushed, and lacks consultation · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: Now. Yesterday, of course, the Chief Minister, Natasha Files announced
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  Speaker 1: that Nicole Madison's going to stay honest in the Northern Territori's
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  Speaker 1: deputy Chief Minister.
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  Speaker 2: The new Chief Minister took to.
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  Speaker 1: Facebook to say that she was thrilled to announce Mss
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  Speaker 1: Madison has been appointed as her deputy. Joining me on
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  Speaker 1: the line to talk about this and plenty more, it
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  Speaker 1: is the Opposition leader, Leah Finocchio. Good morning to you.
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  Speaker 3: Good morning Katie and to your lovely listeners.
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  Speaker 2: Lea.
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  Speaker 1: Did you think it was a good move for Nicole
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  Speaker 1: Madison to stay hon as a deputy chief Minister?
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  Speaker 3: Well, I think it was Natasha Files's first backflip as
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  Speaker 3: Chief Minister. Of course she came out and said she
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  Speaker 3: wouldn't be resolving any of those issues for a week,
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  Speaker 3: so until the end of this week, and of course
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  Speaker 3: yesterday to magically announce a deputy leader position on Facebook
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  Speaker 3: shows me that there's great levels of infighting and discontent
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  Speaker 3: within the labor ranks. Of course, as they tough all
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  Speaker 3: over who's going to get a coveted seat in cabinet
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  Speaker 3: or not, which is bad news for Territorians because of
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  Speaker 3: course they're spending more time worrying about their own jobs
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  Speaker 3: than what the reality is for Territorians out in the
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  Speaker 3: real world.
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  Speaker 1: But anyway, people maybe saw it as being a good
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  Speaker 1: thing that it was worked out quickly.
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  Speaker 3: If it was a good thing, why wasn't it announced properly.
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  Speaker 3: If it was a good thing, why didn't she just
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  Speaker 3: do that on Friday? I think it just shows behind
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  Speaker 3: the scenes there's a lot of unhappy campers in the
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  Speaker 3: Labor team at the moment. You know, people make their
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  Speaker 3: own judgments about Nicole. Of course, she's been the deputy
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  Speaker 3: for six years and the police Minister as Labor has
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  Speaker 3: presided over the worst crime and the worst level of
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  Speaker 3: economic activity we've ever had, So I'll leave your listeners
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  Speaker 3: to make their own judgment about her performance. But I
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  Speaker 3: think it was more symptomatic of problems behind the scenes
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  Speaker 3: than it was of any great vote of confidence in
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  Speaker 3: her capability.
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  Speaker 1: Leah, she wasn't the only change we know that the COLP,
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  Speaker 1: sorry the CEO, I should say, of the Chief Minister
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  Speaker 1: and Cabinet Department Jodi Ryan has stood down.
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  Speaker 2: What did you make of that move?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, I think it's very interesting. We're already starting to
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  Speaker 3: see Head's role. I think there'll be more to come,
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  Speaker 3: And I think what's terrible about what Natasha fars has
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  Speaker 3: decided to do is that without announcing a cabinet for
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  Speaker 3: another week, we've got twenty seven one thousand public servants
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  Speaker 3: who are unsure who their boss is, what the policy
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  Speaker 3: direction is, what incoming brief they should be preparing. And
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  Speaker 3: I'm sure to some extent it is in a great
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  Speaker 3: level of chaos. You know, people can't really move forward
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  Speaker 3: and make decisions because they don't know who the decision
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  Speaker 3: makers are going to be. So I think it's a
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  Speaker 3: misstep not announcing a cabinet as soon as possible, particularly
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  Speaker 3: as our public service will be frantically preparing for budget
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  Speaker 3: estimates and you know, other big decisions undoubtedly hang in
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  Speaker 3: the balance now with great instability in the public service.
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  Speaker 1: We did just speak to We did just speak to
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  Speaker 1: Paul Mchughe, the Police Association President, and I asked whether
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  Speaker 1: he thought Nicole Madison should retain the police portfolio. He
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  Speaker 1: said that when the chief, when the former Chief Minister,
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  Speaker 1: Michael Gunner, was elected, that he had said that the
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  Speaker 1: police portfolio would stay with the Chief Minister, or would
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  Speaker 1: be a portfolio that the Chief Minister had What do
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  Speaker 1: you think needs to happen here? Do you think that
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  Speaker 1: there does need to be a change of minister when
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  Speaker 1: it comes to the police force. You've just outlined a
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  Speaker 1: few different reasons why you feel as though she hasn't
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  Speaker 1: been an effective minister.
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  Speaker 3: Oh, without question, Nicole Madison cannot stay as the police minister.
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  Speaker 3: She has provided over the worst attrition rates, the worst
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  Speaker 3: morale we've ever seen, major health and well being issues
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  Speaker 3: going on within our police force. Of course, major crime issues.
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  Speaker 3: I mean this has all been on Nicole Madison's watch.
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  Speaker 3: I've made it very clear to territories that if I
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  Speaker 3: was Chief Minister, the very first thing I would do
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  Speaker 3: would take be take the police portfolio, because community safety
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  Speaker 3: and police resourcing has to be front of mine, it
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  Speaker 3: has to be held by the top. And so Natasha
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  Speaker 3: has made some comments publicly that you know, what they've
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  Speaker 3: been doing on crime hasn't been working. But the real
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  Speaker 3: test for her will be whether she takes crime by
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  Speaker 3: the horn and takes that police portfolio herself.
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  Speaker 1: Now, let's talk about what happened inside Parliament yesterday. We
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  Speaker 1: know that the Northern Territory Government's pass the Association's and
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  Speaker 1: Liquor Amendment Bill for twenty twenty two, which means that
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  Speaker 1: communities are now going to be able to choose their
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  Speaker 1: own approach to alcohol restrictions after the Commonwealth's Stronger Futures
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  Speaker 1: legislation expires. Leah, the legislation has now obviously passed. It
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  Speaker 1: went through last night. Why do you think this is
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  Speaker 1: going to create issues?
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  Speaker 3: Yet? We voted against that legislation, not because we don't
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  Speaker 3: support the principle of it, but because it's been completely
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  Speaker 3: rushed and lacks fundamental consultation to make it work. There
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  Speaker 3: is no additional police or health resourcing to go with
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  Speaker 3: opening up grog to the whole Northern Territory. There is
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  Speaker 3: no additional living with alcohol education programs, and there is
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  Speaker 3: no additional rehabilitation support. We know and the Labor Government
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  Speaker 3: know that alcohol fueled violence and harm causes more misery
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  Speaker 3: across the territory than anything else and more crime. And
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  Speaker 3: so unfortunately, because the Labor Government have done no consultation
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  Speaker 3: with communities with territorians about this major major change we
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  Speaker 3: haven't seen for ten years, and not provided that additional resourcing,
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  Speaker 3: we think it's just going to perpetuate more crime, more
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  Speaker 3: antisocial behavior and more misery for victim Leah.
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  Speaker 1: The Northern Territory government say that it was a race
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  Speaker 1: based policy with little to no engagement with the Aboriginal Territorians.
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  Speaker 1: It was targeted at You obviously don't agree with that description.
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  Speaker 3: No, and look, I'm sure there wasn't consultation at the time,
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  Speaker 3: but let's remember why that legislation came in. There were
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  Speaker 3: absolutely chronic issues across the Northern Territory and it really
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  Speaker 3: was a child protection issue. Now, whether it was right
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  Speaker 3: or wrong to do the intervention really isn't the question.
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  Speaker 3: The question is we know it's going to expire from
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  Speaker 3: the day it started. We knew in ten years time
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  Speaker 3: it would expire. So what have we done to transition? Now?
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  Speaker 3: The COP has always been very supportive of community clubs
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  Speaker 3: and social clubs on communities and all of those things.
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  Speaker 3: We don't oppose it in principle. But what we can't
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  Speaker 3: stomach is that no one's been consulting me. Literally, the
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  Speaker 3: government only just wrote to the decision maker is a
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  Speaker 3: couple of weeks ago, letting them know that they would
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  Speaker 3: be the ones deciding whether or not grog would be
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  Speaker 3: allowed back in community. So it's a total disaster. All
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  Speaker 3: of the Aboriginal controlled community organizations are up in arms
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  Speaker 3: about it. They've written to government, they've been very public
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  Speaker 3: in ye well on them all. Now, yeah, just getting
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  Speaker 3: this done properly, you know, making sure the rehab support
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  Speaker 3: is They're making sure our police are prepared, making sure
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  Speaker 3: our clinics are open, and you know, there's a lot
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  Speaker 3: of things that have to happen to complement this policy
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  Speaker 3: and they just haven't. So where does we were urging caution?
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  Speaker 3: Slow down? The last thing we need is less is
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  Speaker 3: more crime and more misery, slow down, do it properly.
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  Speaker 3: But they have it. They've rammed it through on the numbers.
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  Speaker 2: Now, Leah, I do want to ask you.
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  Speaker 1: We know that the Police Association was just on the show,
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  Speaker 1: obviously Paul mchue having a chat to us about the
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  Speaker 1: legislation that you guys are introducing. So essentially you'll introduce
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  Speaker 1: this legislation. I believe it's today around mandatory sentencing for
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  Speaker 1: those who assault frontline workers.
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  Speaker 2: Is that correct? It's going in today.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, we would be debating that today, So it will
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  Speaker 3: happen this afternoon after question time at three o'clock. This
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  Speaker 3: debate will come on and it's a really important debate
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  Speaker 3: and it's a pivotal moment for Natasha Fars to distinguish
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  Speaker 3: herself from the government she's been a part of and
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  Speaker 3: orchestrated for the last six years, if she's really committed
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  Speaker 3: to backing territory workers and doing something different about crime
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  Speaker 3: than our legislation today, which means that even first time
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  Speaker 3: offenders who kick, punch, spit at police and boots corrections
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  Speaker 3: anyone any territory in in their workplace, they will serve
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  Speaker 3: actual in prisoner. You know, they will spend time behind bars.
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  Speaker 3: And so today's a really pivotal day to send territory
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  Speaker 3: workers a message that we back you, that we put
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  Speaker 3: your rights above the rights of offenders. But we can
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  Speaker 3: only pass this bill if labor support us. So you know,
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  Speaker 3: it's going to be a big challenge for labor today
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  Speaker 3: whether they're going to back in workers or back in criminals.
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  Speaker 1: Leah, they are saying that these proposed changes that you
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  Speaker 1: are putting forward are window dressing.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, I don't even know what they're talking about. If
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  Speaker 3: they think then someone to behind bars for kicking and
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  Speaker 3: punching his window dressing, then it just shows how soft
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  Speaker 3: on crime they are. I literally, don't you know. It's
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  Speaker 3: a catchy slogan. Good on them, but it doesn't mean anything.
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  Speaker 3: There is no practical reason why they can't support this legislation.
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  Speaker 3: The legislation's water tight. They tried to say in Parliament
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  Speaker 3: yesterday that Nicole Manison poked holes through it in her
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  Speaker 3: briefing with us. Simply not true. She did not ask
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  Speaker 3: a single question in that briefing, So how she poked
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  Speaker 3: holes in it, we'll never know, Katie. But the legislation
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  Speaker 3: is good. It's very very simple. It targets first time
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  Speaker 3: offenders who are committing crimes against territory workers, who do
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  Speaker 3: things like kick and spit in your face and punch you.
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  Speaker 3: It deals with them and it's an important message we
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  Speaker 3: need to send and sets community expectation because violent offending
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  Speaker 3: and offenses against workers are skyrocking. And Police Association have
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  Speaker 3: come out and backed it. It's an important step. The
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  Speaker 3: only people who don't agree with this are labor. So
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  Speaker 3: what is Natasha Files going to do? Or she lead
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  Speaker 3: the same old labor leah.
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  Speaker 1: I am hearing unconfirmed reports this morning that the Police
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  Speaker 1: Commissioner may have indeed decided to stand down. I'm literally
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  Speaker 1: just hearing these unconfirmed reports right now. We will try
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  Speaker 1: to follow it up through the police department. But have
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  Speaker 1: you heard anything to this effect this morning?
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  Speaker 3: No, I haven't. Kay, that's the first I've heard of it,
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  Speaker 3: and of course I guess time will.
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  Speaker 1: Tell, Yeah, will certainly, We will certainly keep on to it.
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  Speaker 1: We quite often get sent nuggets of information. Sometimes they
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  Speaker 1: are correct, sometimes they're not, so we will make sure
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  Speaker 1: that we follow this up and find out exactly what
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  Speaker 1: the situation is.
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  Speaker 2: Leah.
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  Speaker 1: Before I let you go, I got a question from
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  Speaker 1: Darby from the DO earlier in the week. Now he's
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  Speaker 1: got a question for you. It is in relation to
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  Speaker 1: the solar feed in Tariff. He said that you'd mentioned
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  Speaker 1: that the fit would be increased to twenty cents per
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  Speaker 1: killer what hour, But you also mentioned something peak times
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  Speaker 1: four till seven pm.
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  Speaker 2: He said, after thinking it over.
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  Speaker 1: Over the weekend, that he's realized that it could be
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  Speaker 1: pointless because of the angle of the sun in the
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  Speaker 1: late afternoon, there's very little power generated from four until
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  Speaker 1: five thirty, and then zero generated after five thirty. So
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  Speaker 1: he's wondering is this policy actually a good one ultimately
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  Speaker 1: or is it going to work? I suppose is what
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  Speaker 1: he's wondering.
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  Speaker 3: Yeap, great question, and thank you Darby from the DEW
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  Speaker 3: for the question and also thinking about the policy. That's
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  Speaker 3: really really important to us, and we welcome anyone's feedback
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  Speaker 3: on anything that we're doing. So the model of having
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  Speaker 3: a peak time tariff is what the rest of the
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  Speaker 3: country doing. It works really really successfully. So yeah, I
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  Speaker 3: guess you could say by seven o'clock it's certainly dark
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  Speaker 3: by them, but you know, between four five and six
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  Speaker 3: there's still plenty of sun. I guess it depends on
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  Speaker 3: your own angles, et cetera. But ultimately what it is
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  Speaker 3: about is if government have to use your battery power
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  Speaker 3: during that time, they are going to pay you twenty
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  Speaker 3: cent per killer whatt tariff. So if you've been using
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  Speaker 3: your power, well, say you put the slow cooker on
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  Speaker 3: during the day and got dinner preps that way, and
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  Speaker 3: of course reducing your own energy in those peak times,
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  Speaker 3: and say a weather event happens or for whatever reason,
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  Speaker 3: government needs to be tapping into your battery and the
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  Speaker 3: power you produce, you will be paid handsomely for that.
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  Speaker 3: And so it's sort of a double a double bonus,
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  Speaker 3: I suppose you could say, but really the real point
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  Speaker 3: of our policy is to get people off the grid.
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  Speaker 3: If we can get people off the grid and basically
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  Speaker 3: kiss goodbye power bills or have very very low power bills,
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  Speaker 3: then that's going to be really game changing stuff. And
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  Speaker 3: it's also so it's sort of a triple win. It's
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  Speaker 3: not just for the homeowner to reduce costs of living,
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  Speaker 3: which we need. It's great for our environment, but big time,
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  Speaker 3: it is great for our grid. And we know just
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  Speaker 3: how unstable a grid is at the moment, how expensive
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  Speaker 3: it is, and that it's not efficient. If we can
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  Speaker 3: level some of that out by rewarding homeowners with solar
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  Speaker 3: on their roof at the same time, then it's tik
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  Speaker 3: tik tik in my view. But thank you for the question.
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  Speaker 1: Well, Leah, we appreciate you answering it, and I'm sure
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  Speaker 1: I'll hear from Derby as to whether he's satisfied with
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  Speaker 1: the answer or not.
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  Speaker 2: We appreciate your time this morning. We'll talk to you
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  Speaker 2: again soon.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you, and just get in touch with me Derby,
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  Speaker 3: we'll have a chat.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you. Thanks Leah.