Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie Woolf spoke with Health Minister Natasha Fyles

Transcript

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

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: But as you heard yesterday, we know the government issued
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: that statement saying that the Northern Territory is on track
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: to achieve what they say is another nation first milestone,
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: with fifty percent of Territorians set to be fully vaccinated
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: this week. So almost two hundred and twenty thousand doses
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: have now been administered in the Northern Territory, with sixty
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: seven percent of Territorians who've received their first dose and
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: forty eight percent of Territorians now fully vaccinated. But the
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: concern that most people have at this point is the
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: role out in remote parts of the Northern Territory falling behind,
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: especially as we talk about the inability to open up
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: until the vaccination rates are at eighty percent across the board.
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: The Health Minister, Natasha Files joins us on the line
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: right now.
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: Good morning to your minister.
• 0:46
  Speaker 3: Good morning Katie.
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: Now, Minister, we spoke fairly extensively about this last week,
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: but these numbers are proving to be a real sticking point.
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: What is the vaccination rate in remote areas right now?
• 0:58
  Speaker 3: So, Katy, I think it's really important for all territories
• 1:01
  Speaker 3: to understand that we are having success with our vaccination
• 1:04
  Speaker 3: program in both urban and remote areas, and that's because
• 1:08
  Speaker 3: territorians are making appointments and turning up and our hard
• 1:12
  Speaker 3: working health teams right across the territory are providing those vaccinations.
• 1:16
  Speaker 3: So the numbers are increasing, and they have increased over
• 1:19
  Speaker 3: the last fortnight and they will increase through the next
• 1:22
  Speaker 3: month when we've seen that increase in vaccine supply coming
• 1:25
  Speaker 3: into the territory.
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: So what are they in remote communities at the moment.
• 1:29
  Speaker 3: Yes, I was just about to get to that exact figure, Katie.
• 1:33
  Speaker 3: We believe that we will get to sixty percent of
• 1:35
  Speaker 3: territories fully vaccinated this week. And in terms of our
• 1:39
  Speaker 3: remote figures by region, we've got over sixty percent in
• 1:44
  Speaker 3: the Darwin region have received a dose and the numbers
• 1:48
  Speaker 3: are around sixty percent in Central the Barkley has come
• 1:52
  Speaker 3: up significantly, but we still have some hesitancy in East Diamond,
• 1:56
  Speaker 3: Big Rivers. But Katie, I was out in Norman Boy
• 1:58
  Speaker 3: yesterday and our vaccination team have been out there delivering vaccinations.
• 2:02
  Speaker 3: So as me watched the local Aboriginal Medical organization, I
• 2:05
  Speaker 3: do believe the tide is turning on this.
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: So do you are you saying that our vaccination rates
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: in remote communities at the moment are up at sixty
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: seven percent, right at sixty percent, so in some of the.
• 2:16
  Speaker 3: Regions, Yes, across the territory, it's fifty four percent of
• 2:19
  Speaker 3: territories in remote areas have had one dose and thirty
• 2:22
  Speaker 3: four percent are fully vaccinated.
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: So thirty four percent is the actual number for our
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: remote communities for the full full vaccination.
• 2:31
  Speaker 3: Yes, Kady and in some areas up to sixty percent
• 2:34
  Speaker 3: have had that first dose and up over forty percent
• 2:37
  Speaker 3: in Dawin and Central have had that second dose.
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: Okay, so thirty four percent.
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: There are still some locations though, which are incredibly low.
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: I know that there has been debate over recent days
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: about whether the government should be more transparent about those numbers.
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: It doesn't sound as though that's going to happen, though.
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: It does sound as though we are going to continue
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: to sort of be drip fed the numbers that the
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: government feels are appropriate to release.
• 3:03
  Speaker 3: To Katie, it's not a situation of feeding what we
• 3:06
  Speaker 3: believe is palatable to the community. There is privacy and
• 3:09
  Speaker 3: our vaccine lead. Yesterday, the Benie Hotel was talking about
• 3:12
  Speaker 3: this with the media. Some of those communities are so small.
• 3:15
  Speaker 3: If we want to put that data into the public domain.
• 3:18
  Speaker 3: It could potentially identify people, and so we are trying
• 3:21
  Speaker 3: to find that balance between respecting people's privacy and putting
• 3:25
  Speaker 3: out the information for the community. But territory should be
• 3:27
  Speaker 3: assured that we are working extremely hard. Territory is are
• 3:31
  Speaker 3: working hard on getting that vaccine, and we are seeing
• 3:34
  Speaker 3: those numbers lift, But we're not saying it's not going
• 3:36
  Speaker 3: to be a challenge in some communities, whether they are
• 3:40
  Speaker 3: sections of the urban community or in remote areas.
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: Can you see though, how people listening this morning might
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: be thinking to themselves, well, it is a bit cute,
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: you know, even given the fact that when I just
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: asked you before about those remote numbers, it took quite
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: some time to actually get that thirty four percent figure.
• 3:57
  Speaker 3: Of the KATY. I've got a range of figures the
• 4:00
  Speaker 3: regional breakdowns in first and second OZ, and that was
• 4:03
  Speaker 3: the information that I was just providing to you.
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: Do you reckon there needs to be a bit more
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: transparency around the numbers, Like I take on board what
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: you're saying that in some of those communities they are
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: quite small. But does there need to be more transparency
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: and are you providing those numbers to well to Aboriginal
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: health groups so that they can actually assist in ensuring
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: that those rates do step up.
• 4:25
  Speaker 3: We're working very closely with the Aboriginal medical organizations, Katie.
• 4:29
  Speaker 3: They are a key partner in this. We are working
• 4:31
  Speaker 3: with them to actually deliver the vaccine, or in some
• 4:34
  Speaker 3: situations they provide the vaccine, they may engage an NGNGO
• 4:38
  Speaker 3: such as the World Flying Doctors or it is NTY
• 4:40
  Speaker 3: health teams that go in and provide that vaccination. So
• 4:44
  Speaker 3: we're working closely with them. We're also listening to them
• 4:47
  Speaker 3: around the pockets of hesitancy that we do have. And
• 4:50
  Speaker 3: I do believe Katie that tragically what's happened in western
• 4:54
  Speaker 3: New South Wales and the Aboriginal community there. What I'm
• 4:57
  Speaker 3: hearing directly from indigenous territories is they really that this
• 5:00
  Speaker 3: virus is a threat to them and they are getting vaccinated.
• 5:04
  Speaker 3: And so we're working around those all important communications as well.
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: What is going to be the plan if we get
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: to later in this year and let's say that greater
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: DARWINSID eighty percent double vaxed, but some remote communities aren't.
• 5:17
  Speaker 2: What's going to be the plan?
• 5:19
  Speaker 3: So, Katie, even with vaccinations, there'll be some public health
• 5:23
  Speaker 3: measures involved in such as checking in maybe perhaps mask wearing.
• 5:28
  Speaker 3: But if we do have some parts of the community,
• 5:32
  Speaker 3: particularly the example that you just gave individual remote communities
• 5:36
  Speaker 3: because they are vulnerable, we can potentially put in additional
• 5:39
  Speaker 3: public health measures to keep them safe. But I think
• 5:42
  Speaker 3: you'll see the ONUS flicks. So rather than locking down
• 5:45
  Speaker 3: parts of the territory, it might be that those people
• 5:48
  Speaker 3: that are vaccinated will be able to participate in sort
• 5:52
  Speaker 3: of normal activities and those that aren't vaccinated will unfortunately
• 5:56
  Speaker 3: not be able to. So the owners full shift to
• 5:59
  Speaker 3: provide that in thanks to those people that have vaccinated.
• 6:02
  Speaker 3: The reason for that, Katie, is the health advice. If
• 6:04
  Speaker 3: you're vaccinated, you're far less likely to have a severe
• 6:07
  Speaker 3: illness and to need hospitalization and high level acute care
• 6:11
  Speaker 3: in hospital.
• 6:12
  Speaker 2: When do you reckon?
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: We're going to start to see that shift in terms of,
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: you know, allowing those who have been double vaxed to
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: be able to have more freedoms and those who haven't
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: well not able to have those same freedoms.
• 6:25
  Speaker 3: To Katie, we expect the vaccine rollout, as I was
• 6:27
  Speaker 3: just saying, it is rapidly gaining pace during September and October,
• 6:31
  Speaker 3: and that's because we're seeing the significant numbers of vaccine
• 6:33
  Speaker 3: come into the territory. We're seeing the Commonwealth get extra
• 6:36
  Speaker 3: supplies from overseas Singapore in the UK, and so that
• 6:40
  Speaker 3: vaccine supply will come through. So I think in the
• 6:43
  Speaker 3: next couple of months it will be a different picture.
• 6:45
  Speaker 3: But of course we'll have to work with our health
• 6:47
  Speaker 3: officials to make sure that we don't We want to
• 6:50
  Speaker 3: keep the virus out. That's the main measure, because we
• 6:53
  Speaker 3: know that not having the virus means that we have
• 6:55
  Speaker 3: relatively no restrictions and we can freely move about our community.
• 6:59
  Speaker 3: But we certain will work with our health officials as
• 7:01
  Speaker 3: we move forward with those higher rates of vaccination that
• 7:04
  Speaker 3: we expect.
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: We do know though, the likes of New South Wales
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: and Victoria they want to open those borders once vaccination
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: targets are reached, will we be opening the borders to them.
• 7:15
  Speaker 3: So in terms of people being able to come in
• 7:17
  Speaker 3: from other communities, we want to try and keep that
• 7:19
  Speaker 3: virus out, but there might be an incentive KADI for
• 7:22
  Speaker 3: people that are vaccinated. But I think we're still a
• 7:25
  Speaker 3: few weeks away from those types of discussions and those
• 7:28
  Speaker 3: decisions being made. What I'm focused on now is really
• 7:31
  Speaker 3: listing that vaccination rate, and we are seeing that happen.
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: All right, So are we going to I mean, if
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: we're in a situation though, where you know, we're some
• 7:40
  Speaker 1: elements of the Northern Territory community are double vaxed. You've
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: said that there will be freedoms for some that others
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: will not be able to have if they're not at
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: that point. But could we actually have a situation where
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: people who are not well, people who you know that
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: the borders could essentially stay shut to some of those locations,
• 7:58
  Speaker 1: some of those more emotional regional areas, if their vaccination
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: rates are not high enough.
• 8:05
  Speaker 2: But here in Darwen they are, Katy, all of us.
• 8:09
  Speaker 3: Want to keep our community stake. We don't want to
• 8:11
  Speaker 3: overburden our health system, and we're certainly working closely not
• 8:14
  Speaker 3: only with the Aboriginal medical organizations but the land outcools.
• 8:18
  Speaker 3: They do control who goes into communities and who comes out,
• 8:21
  Speaker 3: and so I think their leadership will be important in
• 8:23
  Speaker 3: making those decisions that you just asked about.
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: Just on that, how are you ensuring I guess, as
• 8:28
  Speaker 1: the health minister, making sure that our hospitals are prepared
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: if we do open I mean, presumably we're going to
• 8:34
  Speaker 1: see COVID in the community if those boarders do open up.
• 8:37
  Speaker 1: But obviously we're hoping that our vaccination rates are going
• 8:40
  Speaker 1: to be high enough that it won't have a huge impact.
• 8:42
  Speaker 2: But how are you.
• 8:43
  Speaker 1: Preparing to make sure the hospitals are up to where
• 8:46
  Speaker 1: they need to be.
• 8:48
  Speaker 3: Just before I answer that specific question, Katie, I'd like
• 8:50
  Speaker 3: to reiterate to your listeners that the vaccination is the
• 8:53
  Speaker 3: best thing they can do to help our hard working doctors, nurses,
• 8:56
  Speaker 3: everyone involved in our health system, because if you're vaccinated,
• 8:58
  Speaker 3: you're far less likely to have a severe illness. In
• 9:01
  Speaker 3: terms of preparing our health system, we have been doing
• 9:04
  Speaker 3: that all the way since the virus first started appearing
• 9:07
  Speaker 3: early last year, and we have to prepare for different scenarios, Kaiti,
• 9:11
  Speaker 3: and so right now we are looking at what's happening
• 9:14
  Speaker 3: in miss South Wales, particularly the rates of hospitalization, the
• 9:18
  Speaker 3: rate of intensive care, and making sure that if we
• 9:21
  Speaker 3: were to see the virus come into our community, what
• 9:23
  Speaker 3: would our preparations need to be, How many beds would
• 9:26
  Speaker 3: we need, So there is a range of scenario testing
• 9:29
  Speaker 3: that has been and will continue to be undertaken.
• 9:31
  Speaker 1: And you're confident that we are actually at the law
• 9:34
  Speaker 1: at the point that we need to be if if
• 9:37
  Speaker 1: we do open up to the rest of Australia.
• 9:41
  Speaker 3: Heati, we need everyone to be vaccinated. My ideal situation
• 9:44
  Speaker 3: would be one hundred percent of territories vaccinated. We have
• 9:48
  Speaker 3: people that you know usually get vaccinated in the territory
• 9:53
  Speaker 3: and so I'm confident that territorians will respond. I believe
• 9:56
  Speaker 3: there is a shift happening around the COVID vaccine. That's
• 10:00
  Speaker 3: what people can do.
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: But the reality is is the hospital where it needs
• 10:04
  Speaker 1: to be or is it not at this point unless
• 10:07
  Speaker 1: those vaccination rates are up.
• 10:10
  Speaker 3: So Katie, coming back to our hospitals, as I said,
• 10:13
  Speaker 3: there's done a range of scenario testing, but the less
• 10:17
  Speaker 3: cases that need hospitalization or of course will be a
• 10:20
  Speaker 3: better situation for our health and our hospital system. That's
• 10:23
  Speaker 3: the best way to do that is to be vaccinated,
• 10:25
  Speaker 3: all right.
• 10:25
  Speaker 1: There are reports in the paper today that Northern Territory
• 10:28
  Speaker 1: Police forire and emergency service staff who refuse to get
• 10:31
  Speaker 1: a COVID nineteen vaccine might be required to wear a
• 10:34
  Speaker 1: mask while they're on the job.
• 10:36
  Speaker 2: Do you reckon that's appropriate?
• 10:38
  Speaker 3: Okatie, that would be an operational decision for the Territory
• 10:41
  Speaker 3: Control and the Police Commission and based on healthyvice.
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: Now, but I guess based on that health advice, do
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: you reckon that it is appropriate? And is it something
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: that we'll maybe see in other departments as.
• 10:50
  Speaker 3: Well, Katy, I think that it's important for people to
• 10:54
  Speaker 3: do their research around the vaccine. It's safe, it's effective,
• 10:56
  Speaker 3: it's been rigorously tested, and even though the vaccine roll
• 10:59
  Speaker 3: out only gaining significant numbers in Australia, these parts are
• 11:04
  Speaker 3: the seeds of the population that have been vaccinated for
• 11:06
  Speaker 3: a significant period of time. They actually have had booster
• 11:09
  Speaker 3: shots and what they're seeing is that it's the best
• 11:11
  Speaker 3: tool for keeping them out of hospital and stopping them
• 11:14
  Speaker 3: having severe illness. So I encourage everyone. I know that
• 11:17
  Speaker 3: people are hesitant, they feel like the vaccine has been
• 11:20
  Speaker 3: developed quickly, They feel like they might have an underlying
• 11:23
  Speaker 3: special health condition. But they should talk to their medical professionals,
• 11:27
  Speaker 3: not look to social media in making those decisions. The
• 11:29
  Speaker 3: vaccine is safe, it is effective, and it's the best tool.
• 11:33
  Speaker 2: Minister.
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: Just a couple of quick ones I know your press
• 11:35
  Speaker 1: for time, as are we. It has been reported today
• 11:38
  Speaker 1: by the ABC that the government is not going to
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: make public a draft internal review of the handling of
• 11:43
  Speaker 1: the Tanami mind COVID nineteen outbreak two months ago. This
• 11:47
  Speaker 1: is the cluster which obviously caused the territory to go
• 11:50
  Speaker 1: into lockdown for five days. As I understand it, it's
• 11:53
  Speaker 1: a Northern Territory Police and Emergency Services internal review. Do
• 11:57
  Speaker 1: you know why it's not going to be made public.
• 12:01
  Speaker 3: That's an operational document, is my understanding. I wasn't aware
• 12:03
  Speaker 3: of it until it was being talked about in the media.
• 12:06
  Speaker 3: It would be a question for the Territory Controller is.
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: There going to be a more broad review happening into
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: that lockdown and the government's handling offers.
• 12:14
  Speaker 3: So, Katie, we've been doing work in our individual agencies
• 12:17
  Speaker 3: and working with different sexes around not specifically the ton
• 12:21
  Speaker 3: of my lockdown, but we've had two lockdowns here in
• 12:23
  Speaker 3: the territory and obviously we were very thankful that they
• 12:26
  Speaker 3: were short, sharp lockdowns and then we were able to
• 12:28
  Speaker 3: ease the lockdown and have some restrictions. We've been doing
• 12:31
  Speaker 3: work with health around if we were to see and
• 12:34
  Speaker 3: the point of those lockdowns is to stop everyone's movement
• 12:37
  Speaker 3: and make sure that we can isolate those that need
• 12:39
  Speaker 3: to be isolated. But going forward, if we do need
• 12:41
  Speaker 3: to see those types of lockdowns, what are some of
• 12:44
  Speaker 3: the activities that we can quickly allow to get back
• 12:46
  Speaker 3: up and running and what health measures would they need
• 12:49
  Speaker 3: in place? So we've been more focused on what we
• 12:51
  Speaker 3: can do in a different way next time. Of course,
• 12:55
  Speaker 3: you know, I believe that, especially with the second lockdown,
• 12:57
  Speaker 3: people responded extremely well. They listening to the messaging. But
• 13:01
  Speaker 3: we haven't done any specific reviews or orders to do
• 13:03
  Speaker 3: any reviews. There's been individual portfolio work around it.
• 13:07
  Speaker 1: Now I know that you are actually out this morning,
• 13:09
  Speaker 1: I think releasing a strategy to drive territory tourism. This
• 13:13
  Speaker 1: is certainly an area that you know a lot of
• 13:16
  Speaker 1: people are hoping that we see some real traction, particularly
• 13:19
  Speaker 1: in the likes of Central Australia. What is this strategy
• 13:22
  Speaker 1: all about today?
• 13:24
  Speaker 3: So we stood our ten year plan around people exactly
• 13:27
  Speaker 3: just just said Patie, who are driving those road holidays
• 13:30
  Speaker 3: and I think there'll be a significant market. You know,
• 13:33
  Speaker 3: it's already something that people love to do is get
• 13:35
  Speaker 3: out and explore the outback in their own vehicle. But
• 13:38
  Speaker 3: this is making sure that our territory tourism and hospitality
• 13:41
  Speaker 3: operated links the benefits of that and so it's attracting
• 13:44
  Speaker 3: new growth markets to increase those visitor numbers. We want
• 13:48
  Speaker 3: particularly to focus on increasing the length of visitors day.
• 13:51
  Speaker 3: So if people are driving up the Stuart Highway, particularly
• 13:53
  Speaker 3: to get to Lipsfield or Pakado, what can we do
• 13:56
  Speaker 3: to keep them in our regions and spend more money
• 13:58
  Speaker 3: in our wonderful operators. This is a really important strategy
• 14:01
  Speaker 3: and I would like to acknowledge everyone that's been involved,
• 14:04
  Speaker 3: and particularly those tourism operators. And so it's seen consultation
• 14:09
  Speaker 3: with industry and government. It's guided the development of the strategy,
• 14:12
  Speaker 3: and we want to make sure that we ensure those
• 14:14
  Speaker 3: tourism benefits and opportunities right across the board are consitted and.
• 14:17
  Speaker 1: We will make sure that we read through this a
• 14:19
  Speaker 1: little bit more throughout the show as well.
• 14:21
  Speaker 2: Minister.
• 14:22
  Speaker 1: Just finally this morning, we know that the Shadow Minister
• 14:25
  Speaker 1: for Tourism, Murray Claire Boothby, is calling on the government
• 14:28
  Speaker 1: to come clean on whether recent cuts and job losses
• 14:30
  Speaker 1: at the Territory Wildlife Park are in preparation to close
• 14:34
  Speaker 1: one of the territory's most iconic tourist attractions or move
• 14:37
  Speaker 1: it closer to Darwin. Is the government looking to make
• 14:41
  Speaker 1: changes to the.
• 14:41
  Speaker 3: Park, so Katie questions around this would be best directed
• 14:46
  Speaker 3: to the Minister for Parks, Minister Selina Ubo. But there
• 14:48
  Speaker 3: is absolutely no plans to sell to close off the
• 14:51
  Speaker 3: Churchy Wildlife Park. We know it's an important attraction for
• 14:53
  Speaker 3: both territories and also visitors well Minister for Health and
• 14:57
  Speaker 3: also Minister for Tourism.
• 14:58
  Speaker 1: We'll leave it there for this morning. Good to catch
• 15:00
  Speaker 1: up with you. Thank you very much for your time today.
• 15:03
  Speaker 3: Thank you