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Katie Woolf spoke with Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: Three sixty with Katie Wolf. Join the conversation with Katie Wolf.
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  Speaker 1: You are our eyes and ears in the territory Mixed
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  Speaker 1: one oh four point nine.
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  Speaker 2: Now, yesterday we caught up with the Health Minister, as
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  Speaker 2: you heard a little earlier, who revealed that flights transporting
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  Speaker 2: repatriated Australians could soon be about to be transferred through
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  Speaker 2: the Darwin International Airport rather than the Raft facility. Now
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  Speaker 2: the Opposition leader Leafanochiio is asking the same question. I
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  Speaker 2: think that many of us are asking, if it's not broken,
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  Speaker 2: why are we trying to fix the system that served
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  Speaker 2: us well until this point. Lea Fanochio, the opposition leader,
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  Speaker 2: joins me on the line. Now, good morning to you.
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  Speaker 1: Leah, Good morning Katie and to your listeners.
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  Speaker 2: Now, Leah, do you think that this is a good idea?
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  Speaker 1: I think this is crazy talk. I mean we've had
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  Speaker 1: a system that's works perfectly up until this point, and
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  Speaker 1: of course now we've got the Gunner governments completely changing
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  Speaker 1: everything up. I mean we've seen them change a ppe
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  Speaker 1: out of the Howard Brings International Quarantine, They've scrapped rapid
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  Speaker 1: Antis and testing for Starve and now all of a
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  Speaker 1: sudden we're going to have a situation where those international
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  Speaker 1: repatriation flights aren't going to be cordered off through the
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  Speaker 1: RAF base, They're going to be coming through the Darwin
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  Speaker 1: International Airport precincts. And I think people are just asking
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  Speaker 1: the big question of why, why does the Gunna government
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  Speaker 1: feel that at this point they're going to change things up.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, could it be a situation here though, where
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  Speaker 2: the raff actually need to utilize their facility and we've
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  Speaker 2: got to think of another option at some point.
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  Speaker 1: Well I don't know that that is the case, Katie,
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  Speaker 1: but you know, it certainly seems to me like the
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  Speaker 1: Gunner government and this new single governance model are really
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  Speaker 1: wanting to put their own stamp on it. I mean,
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  Speaker 1: particularly when it comes to changes as well out as
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  Speaker 1: the how it brings quarantine facility. It's just really alarming
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  Speaker 1: when we've got a situation where OZMA has been removed
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  Speaker 1: from supporting the management of this very high risk area.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, let's face it, the way COVID will get
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  Speaker 1: into the territory is you know, through international the international system.
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  Speaker 1: I mean that presents the highest risk. We've done it
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  Speaker 1: really really well so far, and I just think people
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  Speaker 1: are just wondering why so many things are changing in
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  Speaker 1: such a small amount of time, and the government really
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  Speaker 1: hasn't given proper justification for it. They're just expecting territories
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  Speaker 1: to swallow this information and essentially just trust the government
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  Speaker 1: with it. And I just don't think that's good enough.
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  Speaker 1: The communication needs to be very clear, it needs to
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  Speaker 1: be articulated well, and it needs the support of the community.
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  Speaker 1: The only way to do that is to create confidence.
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  Speaker 1: But when you're just chopping and changing things left, right
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  Speaker 1: and center, it just breathes fear. Now.
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  Speaker 2: I know that the Airport Development Group have issued a
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  Speaker 2: statement and they have said that they do support bringing
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  Speaker 2: Australians home, but at this stage have not agreed to
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  Speaker 2: provide access to the Darwin International Airport for repatriation flights,
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  Speaker 2: with discussions between the Airport Development Group, the Commonwealth Government
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  Speaker 2: and the NT Government still ongoing. They have said that
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  Speaker 2: they do require significant capital works to be completed in
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  Speaker 2: the Darwin International Airport terminal prior to commencement of this
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  Speaker 2: arrangement to ensure that domestic and international processing are clearly
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  Speaker 2: separated with fixed walls and independent air conditioning units, and
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  Speaker 2: this requires time and skilled contractors. They've gone on to
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  Speaker 2: say that they will not compromise the safety of their
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  Speaker 2: staff nor the safety of terminal users. I mean, lea,
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  Speaker 2: if that work is done at the airport and there
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  Speaker 2: is separate air circulation and infrastructure, could we make it work.
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  Speaker 1: Look, it possibly could work. And I think that's fantastic
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  Speaker 1: that their DAO and airport of recognized that they're not
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  Speaker 1: going to compromise the safety or security of their staff
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  Speaker 1: or of travelers. And that's really really important. And what
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  Speaker 1: it shows us is that these negotiations are still very
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  Speaker 1: much in their early days. Now. I guess a big
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  Speaker 1: question is who's going to pay for all of this
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  Speaker 1: infrastructure work so would be required to bring in those
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  Speaker 1: repatriation flights. We know the territory government is stone cold broke.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, we're looking at nine point four billion dollar
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  Speaker 1: debt next year. And while I absolutely support spending to
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  Speaker 1: keep Territory in safe, particularly around COVID, you've got to
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  Speaker 1: ask the question again, why are we changing the model?
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  Speaker 1: And so far I've heard nothing that really justifies this departure. Yeah.
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  Speaker 2: Look, I can't really understand why we're looking at changing
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  Speaker 2: this over Apparently the chief Minister has also said that
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  Speaker 2: he's hoping that it's going to happen by the wet season.
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  Speaker 2: You know, at the end of the day, I agree
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  Speaker 2: with you with that question who's going to pay for it?
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  Speaker 2: I would suspect though, that the Federal government is going
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  Speaker 2: to have to foot the bill. I mean, we're talking
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  Speaker 2: about repatriated Australians, so it is really their responsibility to
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  Speaker 2: bring them home.
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  Speaker 1: Look, it may very well be the case, but I mean,
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  Speaker 1: you know, the federal government have also just tipped in
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  Speaker 1: half a billion dollars for the territory government to run
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  Speaker 1: international quarantine at how it brings. So I'm not sure
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  Speaker 1: that the federal government is the endless bottom of money,
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  Speaker 1: bottomless pit of money that Michael Gunner hopes it is,
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  Speaker 1: and that will remain to be seen. But what we're
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  Speaker 1: really concerned about is whether or not these flights are
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  Speaker 1: going to be diverted from the raphase over to the
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  Speaker 1: public facility prior to all of these which is now
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  Speaker 1: a very sophisticated and extensive construction prods a completed. So
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  Speaker 1: it doesn't sound to me like any of that could
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  Speaker 1: be done by the wet season, and when negotiations haven't
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  Speaker 1: even been completed. It really looks like a pretty dubious
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  Speaker 1: timeline worldlined out by the Chief Minister. So lots of
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  Speaker 1: questions here.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, and look, there's certainly a lot of people getting
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  Speaker 2: in contact with us about this. I've got one message here,
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  Speaker 2: it says Hi kat as anyone asks why the government
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  Speaker 2: need to change what is in place with handling the
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  Speaker 2: repatriation flights. Also why all the changes that Howard springs.
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  Speaker 2: Nothing will change is what they said, says that text.
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  Speaker 2: Another one here, this time from Joe, when it says
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  Speaker 2: good morning Katie. The NT government continues to prove if
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  Speaker 2: it's not their idea, they'll change it or ignore the opposition,
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  Speaker 2: including concerned territorians, reckons Joe. There's no doubt that when
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  Speaker 2: it comes to COVID, and when it comes to changing
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  Speaker 2: things that have been done and managed incredibly well, it
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  Speaker 2: does frighten Territorians and it certainly makes us all feel concerned.
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  Speaker 2: One announcement though, that the government made yesterday is additional
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  Speaker 2: measures for any recently repatriated Australian who completes their fourteen
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  Speaker 2: days mandatory quarantine in another state before traveling to the territory.
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  Speaker 2: They're now going to be required by law to get
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  Speaker 2: a further test here on day seventeen. So anyone who's
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  Speaker 2: just completed their fourteen days quarantine into state, who then
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  Speaker 2: travels to the Northern Territory on day fifteen, sixteen, or seventeen,
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  Speaker 2: they're going to be directed to get this test on
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  Speaker 2: day seventeen. In addition, anyone who travels to the territory
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  Speaker 2: from days eighteen to twenty eight are going to be
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  Speaker 2: required to take a day seventeen test if they haven't
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  Speaker 2: already completed one in another jurisdiction, Lea, is this a
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  Speaker 2: good additional measure to keep territori in safe? Sure?
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  Speaker 1: I mean, increased testing is certainly very important, but you know,
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  Speaker 1: it raises another question around whether or not our laboratory
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  Speaker 1: at Royal Darwin Hospital can handle them. It's fine to
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  Speaker 1: say to people you have to go and get several tests,
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  Speaker 1: but then are these people having to sit at home
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  Speaker 1: for three days waiting for test results to come through?
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  Speaker 1: You know. So it's fine to require things, but you
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  Speaker 1: have to have the facilities and the capability to be
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  Speaker 1: able to push that out. So expanded testing is great,
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  Speaker 1: but that means commensurate with that we need to support
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  Speaker 1: the lab, support Royal Darwin Hospital to be able to
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  Speaker 1: ensure that if people are coming to the territory, and
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  Speaker 1: of course we're selling it this this great tourist destination
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  Speaker 1: at the moment, you can't then have them sitting around
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  Speaker 1: locked up for three days waiting for a test result. So,
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  Speaker 1: you know, I just worry about whether or not the
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  Speaker 1: government is really thinking through the implications of its announcements,
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  Speaker 1: because in the last couple of months it's really felt
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  Speaker 1: like they're making things up as they go along, and
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  Speaker 1: that's hugely concerning when it comes to COVID. People want
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  Speaker 1: stability and surety. We've had that so far, and now
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  Speaker 1: a lot is changing and people just feel like too
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  Speaker 1: much is changing too soon and you can we handle it.
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  Speaker 2: Leah, how are you feeling at the moment about the
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  Speaker 2: borders on our roads? So we don't have police on
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  Speaker 2: them at the moment, And obviously we're seeing this situation
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  Speaker 2: in Victoria continue to unfold. They've reported three new locally
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  Speaker 2: acquired coronavirus cases today, taking the state's outbreak to fifty
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  Speaker 2: four cases. Do you think that we need to have
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  Speaker 2: police back on those road borders.
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  Speaker 1: Well, we know that police on our borders was an
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  Speaker 1: enormous exercise and resource intensive, and of course, with crime
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  Speaker 1: out of control right across the territory, it presented a
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  Speaker 1: huge problem for our police. I actually think we could
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  Speaker 1: be looking at a different model. I don't know why
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  Speaker 1: we wouldn't have public health officials out there, and you know,
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  Speaker 1: it doesn't necessarily require a full consortable standing at our borders.
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  Speaker 1: But ultimately, you know, again, this is another change to
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  Speaker 1: how we've been doing things in the past, and it
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  Speaker 1: seems to just be a quick grip the bandaid off
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  Speaker 1: and hope for the best approach. So you know, that
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  Speaker 1: remain to be seen. Who is then saying to people
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  Speaker 1: who cross the border, Look, you've got to head to
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  Speaker 1: Alice Springs, you've got a head to Darwin and do
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  Speaker 1: your fourteen days. I mean, what is the exact process
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  Speaker 1: for those people crossing the border.
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  Speaker 2: And so you reckon, We probably need to have a
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  Speaker 2: bit of a closer look at the process that is
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  Speaker 2: happening on our roads when you cross the border, to
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  Speaker 2: just ensure that everybody's doing the right thing.
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  Speaker 1: Well, that's right, because you're crossing over you're relying then
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  Speaker 1: on everyone to be doing the right thing and making
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  Speaker 1: their way directly to a quarantine facility. Now there's no
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  Speaker 1: oversight as far as I can see of that happening now,
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  Speaker 1: I don't you know, police on our borders is a
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  Speaker 1: very intensive exercise. I don't think it needs to be police.
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  Speaker 1: But there's no reason why, you know, COVID public health
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  Speaker 1: officials couldn't be performing some sort of role or or
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  Speaker 1: or a change version of that role. Then we used
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  Speaker 1: to have police on the actual border. There's no reason
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  Speaker 1: why police couldn't be at that next nearest sorry that
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  Speaker 1: public health officials couldn't be at that next nearest sense
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  Speaker 1: you know, so as you drive through, perhaps you know,
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  Speaker 1: to use an example coming across from Queensland, it might
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  Speaker 1: be at the Berkeley Homestead. You know, there's different ways
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  Speaker 1: you can do it, but to do nothing just seems like, again,
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  Speaker 1: a very big departure from how we've done it before.
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  Speaker 2: Leah, across the territory at the moment, there does still
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  Speaker 2: seem to be some vaccine hesitancy. Do you think that
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  Speaker 2: it's time for the government to bite the bullet and
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  Speaker 2: allow all Territorians over the age of sixteen to get
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  Speaker 2: vaccinated as is happening in the likes of Alice Springs.
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  Speaker 1: Absolutely, without question, everyone who wants to get vaccinated should
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  Speaker 1: be able to go and get vaccinated. We're hearing lots
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  Speaker 1: of stories right across the territory of people not taking
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  Speaker 1: it up. And my biggest concern is around remote communities.
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  Speaker 1: You know, I've spent a lot of time out Bush
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  Speaker 1: in the last week or so, and the take up
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  Speaker 1: in remote communities is very, very low. The government has
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  Speaker 1: not done the consultation and the detailed work it needs
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  Speaker 1: to do to ensure that people in the Bush will
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  Speaker 1: really confident and comfortable with getting that vaccine. And of
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  Speaker 1: course they're our most vulnerable and yet and yeah, the
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  Speaker 1: takeup is extraordinarily low, so a lot of work needs
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  Speaker 1: to be done their case.
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  Speaker 2: How do I reckon they do that? I mean, how
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  Speaker 2: do you reckon that they really try to change the
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  Speaker 2: hearts and minds of people that are concerned about getting
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  Speaker 2: the vaccine.
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  Speaker 1: I think you've got to spend the time, and I
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  Speaker 1: think you've got to sit down with elders and leaders
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  Speaker 1: in each community and show and explain to them why
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  Speaker 1: it is safe and get there buying and then they
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  Speaker 1: can be the role models and the leaders for everybody else.
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  Speaker 1: It's got to be done in a slow and steady
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  Speaker 1: way that gives people confidence. But at the moment it's
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  Speaker 1: just you know, on Tuesday next week, we're going to
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  Speaker 1: be in a tittura and rock up and get your
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  Speaker 1: vaccine and if you don't, well we've moved on by
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  Speaker 1: the next day. And that's just not working. And that's
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  Speaker 1: just that's playing out right across the territory.
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  Speaker 2: Lea. We've just got a message here. It says we've
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  Speaker 2: seen the government can pull together a mass testing over
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  Speaker 2: the over the weekend at the Netball car park. They
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  Speaker 2: should do the same every weekend to get Territori ins
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  Speaker 2: the vaccine. What do you reckon?
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I think it's great. I mean, if I was
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  Speaker 1: allowed to get the vaccine, Katie, I'd be there tomorrow.
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  Speaker 1: I know, you know a lot of people would. And
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  Speaker 1: it's actually really difficult to see vaccines, you know, just
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  Speaker 1: sitting around when people could have them in their arms.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, it's just ridiculous that we have to wait
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  Speaker 1: this long and that we're having all of these hold ups.
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  Speaker 1: We need to be doing things differently and starting to
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  Speaker 1: push a lot harder. Let people who want to have
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  Speaker 1: it and then let backtrack and work on the people
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  Speaker 1: who are still concerned. Let's do that important work with
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  Speaker 1: them to make sure that we can get them over
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  Speaker 1: the line and sort it out. But you know, this
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  Speaker 1: tough rhetoric from the Chief Minister today about get the
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  Speaker 1: JAB or get COVID, I mean, that doesn't do anything
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  Speaker 1: for anyone. It's a ridiculous tough talk. You need to
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  Speaker 1: be out on the ground with people understanding what their
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  Speaker 1: concerns are, showing them the fact, showing them the science,
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  Speaker 1: and then ensuring that people feel confident and comfortable to
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  Speaker 1: move forward.
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  Speaker 2: Positional leader Leaf and Ochiro. Just quickly before we wrap up,
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  Speaker 2: we're about to catch up with just Center Price. She
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  Speaker 2: has confirmed in The Australian Today that she is going
• 13:08
  Speaker 2: to be competing against National Senator Sam McMahon for the
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  Speaker 2: coorp's coveted senate spot. Is this going to mean an
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  Speaker 2: ugly pre selection stash.
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  Speaker 1: No, I don't think so at all. I mean the
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  Speaker 1: Country Liberal Party is all about being open to territories
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  Speaker 1: and finding for the territory, and our pre selection process
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  Speaker 1: is very open. We call for expresions of interest for
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  Speaker 1: every seat. As a matter, if it's my seat, or
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  Speaker 1: all the senators or anybody's Katie, we all have to recontest.
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  Speaker 1: There's no free rides in the Country Liberal Party and
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  Speaker 1: so we put it out there because we want passionate
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  Speaker 1: Territorians to put their hat in the ring, and you know,
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  Speaker 1: the party membership will We'll look at all the people
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  Speaker 1: who've applied for all the seats and make the best
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  Speaker 1: judgment on who's going to fight hard for the territory
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  Speaker 1: in camera, well.
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  Speaker 2: Leaf and Occhio, we better leave it there. We'll catch
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  Speaker 2: up with you again, hopefully Friday. We'll see how if
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  Speaker 2: you're on for the way that was, we'll talk to
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  Speaker 2: you then.
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  Speaker 1: Great, Thank you,