Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie Woolf spoke with Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro

Transcript

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

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Three sixty with Katie Wolf on Mix one oh four
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: point nine thanks to Joyce Main Darwin.
• 0:05
  Speaker 2: It's twenty minutes after nine o'clock and joining us live
• 0:08
  Speaker 2: in the studio is the opposition leader Leah fanochiiro good morning.
• 0:12
  Speaker 3: Good morning Katie. Into your listeners now, Lea.
• 0:14
  Speaker 2: The big news this morning is that it's been confirmed
• 0:16
  Speaker 2: that those who want to walk the likes of the
• 0:18
  Speaker 2: jat Buller Trail, the Larapinta Trail and the Tabletop Track
• 0:22
  Speaker 2: are going to have to pay twenty five dollars per night,
• 0:25
  Speaker 2: up to a maximum of one hundred and twenty five
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: dollars for five or more nights. This new fee structure
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: is going to be introduced from July one, but Territorians
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: are still going to be able to access those walking
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: trails for free, apparently if you're undertaking single day walks
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: or runs. Leah, wats your reaction to the introduction of
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: these fetes.
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: We've been really horrified by this, Katie, because of course
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: we know it's a knee jet reaction to the fact
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: that the Gunner government doesn't have a plan to pay
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: down our hideous eight point four billion dollar debt, and
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: now it's threatening our tourism industry, and of course calls
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: eventually having to pay. I think people, you know, to
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: some extent, don't mind paying a little bit if they
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: thought it was going to go back into the park.
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: But of course we've had very mixed messaging from the
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: Gunner government about this, and at a time when COVID
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: has impacted our world and we are looking to secure
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: out the biggest portion of interstate travelers to the territory
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: as we possibly can, we don't want any disincentives to
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: get in the way of them deciding to pick the
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: territory to come and explore. So we've got real questions
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: around what the cost benefit of this is actually going
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: to be. I mean, we already know it's going to
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: cost millions of dollars to create the system, and then
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: of course, if there's going to be all these fees involved,
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: it's probably going to require an additional few public servants
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: to administer that booking system. So, you know, are we
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: really any better off at the end of this, I
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: don't think we will be.
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: I guess the argument is that that money is then
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: going to go back into some of those different locations,
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: so that hopefully we've got better infrastructure and we're able
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: to actually really capitalize on some of those great walking
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: trails for example. I mean there does need to be
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: work done in some of those locations, doesn't it.
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I think this is a great myth okatie. Of course,
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: we've had the Chief Minister, who's also the treasurer, come
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: out and say, well, you know, all revenue raised by
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: the territory goes back into general revenue, so back into
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: the main bucket of money, which is obviously a very
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: small bucket. And then we've had the Attorney General, Selena
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: Eubo come out and say no, no, that's going to
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: go back into our parks. Now that completely remains to
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: be seen. When know money goes back into the pot,
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: and whether or not parks actually get a bigger budget
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: when it comes budget time will remain to be seen.
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: And budget's coming forward in a couple of months, so
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: it'll be really interesting to see if a single dollar
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: goes back into the parks. I don't actually think it will,
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: and I don't actually think it's going to make any
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: money for the territory for a long time. By the
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: time they pay back the infrastructure costs to set up
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: the scheme, the people they're going to have to pay
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: to administer the scheme. I don't even know that we're
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: ever going to return and is going to be any
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: return on that investment.
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: Well, we are going to be catching up with the
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: minister in just about five minutes time, Selena Rubo. But
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: we also know that there are going to be new
• 3:08
  Speaker 2: camping fees. Category a's going to see a six dollars
• 3:11
  Speaker 2: sixty jump per adult. Apparently fifteen dollars forty per family.
• 3:16
  Speaker 2: Ten dollars per adult or twenty five for a family
• 3:19
  Speaker 2: is what it's going to go up to. I should
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: say now these don't come into place until July one.
• 3:25
  Speaker 2: It gives people a little bit of time. I mean,
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: in some instances we're literally talking about a few dollars,
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: does it you know, is it really worth having a
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: political barnie over?
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: I think it is, because, you know, our unique territory
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: lifestyle is why people enjoy and love living here, and
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: if we erode that and take it away, people will
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: start to look at the high rates of crime and
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: the lack of jobs and the state of our economy
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: and go, wow, you've destroyed those things I used to
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: love about the place, and now you're taking away my lifestyle.
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: So lifestyle is a really important part of territory living.
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: Whether you're in Central Australia or in the top end,
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: it doesn't matter. It's a key, fundamental part. And I
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: guess what annoys me the most is not because we've
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: been given some sort of rational argument for why this
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: is needed, because I have serious concerns and questions over
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: whether the parks will actually see a single extra dollar investment, but.
• 4:13
  Speaker 3: The fact that the debt is what is driving this.
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: I mean, you know, when you spend all your money
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: recklessly and you have nothing left in the bank, you
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: have to start penny pinching from people who are already
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: doing it tough, people who are just living their everyday life.
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: It's already their taxes that the government's blown and now
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: you want them to pay more. I mean, it's a
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: tax by another name, and I just fundamentally, you know,
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: my team don't support that in any erosion of our lifestyle.
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: We're very very concerned about and this government will say, oh,
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: territories don't have to pay, but my answer to that
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: would be yet, Leah.
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: One of the areas that people are obviously quite worried
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: about the fact that it's closed and they would actually
• 4:51
  Speaker 2: like to see some investment to keep it open, these
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: Windows on the Wetland. There doesn't seem to be any
• 4:56
  Speaker 2: further announcement at this sport in time this morning about this.
• 5:00
  Speaker 3: What do you reckon needs to happen there? I mean,
• 5:01
  Speaker 3: this is appalling.
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: You know, Windows on the Wetland was closed I think
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: on the first of January, and what's happened.
• 5:06
  Speaker 3: I mean it was.
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: Closed for huge amounts of last year. There was investment
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: poured into it for air conditioning and other upgrades, and
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: now it's just closed. The government's just given up put it.
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: I mean, it's an iconic part of the territory. I
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: know as a little kid, my parents used to take
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: us there all the time, and I take my kids, well,
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: I used.
• 5:23
  Speaker 3: To take my kids there often, Katie.
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: And it's just there's nowhere else in the top end
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: where you can get that vista over the wetlands and
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: have that level of interaction for the kids on our
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: on wildlife and our environments. So it's not okay for
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: the Gunner government to give up once again, because sure
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: it costs money to run, there's no escaping that. But
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: again if you didn't waste all your money on pet projects,
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: shade structures with vines that don't grow, grandstands, and all
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: these other things, then we can continue to support and
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: maintain important infrastructure to not only our tourism industry but
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: to our community.
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: I mean, can you say, on one hand, though, Lea,
• 6:02
  Speaker 2: that you don't want to see these small increases on
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: park fees, but then you do want to see something
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: like windows on the wetland invested in.
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: No, because it comes back to the same issue. If
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: our budget wasn't so broke, this wouldn't be a really
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: a point of issue where the government's going to cut
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: And I mean they talk about tourism and you know,
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: the former Attorney General is always talking about her promotion
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: to the tourism portfolio, and yet we're seeing these types
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: of things being attacked. Tourism can't take much more between
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: COVID and crime. They're on their knees and they're asking
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: for some support and I just have real concerns not
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: only for territorians and our lifestyle and this slow erosion,
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: but also anything that stops people from coming.
• 6:44
  Speaker 3: It's just devastating.
• 6:45
  Speaker 2: On that note, I know that you're in Ellie Springs
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: on the weekend. What did locals have to say to
• 6:50
  Speaker 2: you about youth crime in the area, something which has
• 6:52
  Speaker 2: been so high on their agenda for such a long time.
• 6:55
  Speaker 3: Yeah, it has.
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: And Marie Claire Boothby, I Shadow Minister for Tourism, she
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: caught up with the Tourism to Australian team and I
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: know they are very concerned. I went out on the
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: beat with the team. We walked the mall, we draw
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: knocked businesses, We sat down with members of the Chamber
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: of Commerce and talked to them about their concerns and
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: their solutions.
• 7:14
  Speaker 3: And then I also went out until.
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: Two o'clock in the morning, which is the first time
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: in a long time I'd been up till two Katie,
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: I can tell you that with Josh Bergo and a
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: member for Braitling and we walk the mall and talked
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: to security and police etc. To see for ourselves. And
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: certainly the concerns are very, very high. There are large
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: volumes of children running around on the streets in the
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: middle of the night. People are being broken into. I mean,
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: the mall is looking so sad. I mean, I just
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: love Alice Springs. It's such a beautiful, iconic place. And
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: what we're starting to see every time I go down
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: is more and more windows being boarded up because those
• 7:50
  Speaker 1: tenancies are moving out. So for example, right at the
• 7:53
  Speaker 1: start of the mall, there's a vacant shop and that
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: basically the whole thing is just boards. And then as
• 7:58
  Speaker 1: you go down the mall window pane that gets broken.
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: You know, if there's no one in that tenancy, it's
• 8:03
  Speaker 1: just being boarded up instead of glass because people can't
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: afford it. And so that's having an impact on the
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: aesthetics of the town, on the morale of the town.
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: And of course we've had problems in other springs with
• 8:15
  Speaker 1: money snatching at ATM's, bad snatching and other types of things.
• 8:19
  Speaker 1: So things are things that really died down there, and
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: I just urge the Gunner government and the Chief Minister
• 8:23
  Speaker 1: to go down and do what I did. Go down
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: with your team and do what my team did, and
• 8:27
  Speaker 1: just be there for people and talk to people and
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: make yourself available and accesiblet.
• 8:34
  Speaker 3: You know, it's the whole point of it. It's so valuable.
• 8:36
  Speaker 3: It was just so valuable. Cadie Lea.
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: I want to move along. I know that that today
• 8:40
  Speaker 2: you have basically said, the Chief Fitness's soft stance on
• 8:44
  Speaker 2: crime is being further highlighted by his willingness to consider
• 8:48
  Speaker 2: pill testing at Base in the Grass.
• 8:50
  Speaker 3: I don't know whether.
• 8:51
  Speaker 2: They've sort of made a formal announcement about this or not,
• 8:54
  Speaker 2: but it sounds as so it's something that you don't do,
• 8:56
  Speaker 2: not want to happen.
• 8:57
  Speaker 1: We just think it shows the Chief Minister's total other
• 9:00
  Speaker 1: utter lack of priorities. I mean, he made comments yesterday
• 9:03
  Speaker 1: that pill testing at based in the grass is something
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: that they consider and look at.
• 9:07
  Speaker 3: I mean, drugs are illegal.
• 9:09
  Speaker 1: We should be supporting people to make the right choices,
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: not turning a blind eye to allow them to make
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: that choice. The only way to stay safe is to
• 9:18
  Speaker 1: not take the drug, not to.
• 9:20
  Speaker 3: Have the drug testing.
• 9:21
  Speaker 2: Do we just need to accept that in some cases,
• 9:23
  Speaker 2: it's very unfortunate that some young people or older whatever
• 9:26
  Speaker 2: age you are maybe taking illicit substances, and so it's
• 9:31
  Speaker 2: better for them to maybe have that pill tested rather
• 9:33
  Speaker 2: than take something that could kill them.
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: I don't think so we need to make sure that
• 9:37
  Speaker 1: the community education is out there not to do it,
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: but it just goes in contrast. I mean the government's
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: come out and said, oh, this year Based in the
• 9:44
  Speaker 1: Grass is going to be no smoking and there's going
• 9:46
  Speaker 1: to be no full strength alcohol. We're only doing minstrengths,
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: but it's okay to go and get your pill checked.
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: I mean, it's just is crazy. It's a soft on
• 9:54
  Speaker 1: crime approach that we've seen. I mean, of course we've
• 9:56
  Speaker 1: seen the Chief Minister rule out drug testing of you know,
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: his staff and his team and my team and anyone
• 10:04
  Speaker 1: in Parliament House, but yet he's happy to people line
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: up and have their pills tested at Based in the Grass.
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: We just think it's a lack of priorities. We need
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: more support and education in that space. But to say
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: we can only serve mid strength and then allow pill
• 10:18
  Speaker 1: testing would be crazy.
• 10:19
  Speaker 2: Leah, very quickly, I've got a text here from a listener.
• 10:21
  Speaker 2: It says, so did you actually see mobs of kids? Leah?
• 10:24
  Speaker 2: How come the Chief Minister doesn't seem to see those things?
• 10:28
  Speaker 3: Yeah?
• 10:28
  Speaker 1: We did, we did. And I also went and visited
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: the youth center. I forgot to mention that, and thank
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: you to the staff who took me around there and
• 10:34
  Speaker 1: the girls who let me do their hair, and we
• 10:35
  Speaker 1: had a nice time together. But yes, there were large
• 10:38
  Speaker 1: volumes of young people out on the streets until I
• 10:40
  Speaker 1: was out at when I went to bed at two o'clock.
• 10:45
  Speaker 3: Leah just quickly.
• 10:46
  Speaker 2: I know that the CLP had the Central Council meeting
• 10:49
  Speaker 2: in Alae Springs on the weekend. Is it correct that
• 10:52
  Speaker 2: the pre selection process for those federal seats was delayed.
• 10:55
  Speaker 1: Yes, so as a member of Parliament were not Any
• 10:58
  Speaker 1: member of Parliament in the Seal is not involved in
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: pre selection. But my understanding is the party decided that
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: it would do all the pre selections together, so Solomon
• 11:06
  Speaker 1: Lingiari and the two Senate positions would all be done
• 11:10
  Speaker 1: later in the year. The Prime Minister is going to
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: go full term, so there's still a good twelve months
• 11:14
  Speaker 1: to that election. So anyone who's interested in running for
• 11:17
  Speaker 1: the Country Liberal Party then you start to think about
• 11:21
  Speaker 1: that and it's a good opportunity to be part of
• 11:23
  Speaker 1: the Morrison McCormack team going forward and give the territory
• 11:26
  Speaker 1: a real voice.
• 11:27
  Speaker 2: Compartment put their hands up, of good people put their
• 11:29
  Speaker 2: hands up.
• 11:30
  Speaker 1: I don't have that information obviously, but I've heard that
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: we've had really good levels of feedback and people who
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: are interested, so it's an exciting time. It's a really
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: important time for our nation. Obviously we need very strong
• 11:43
  Speaker 1: representation in Cambra and it would be good to have
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: people on the government's team. So if you want to
• 11:49
  Speaker 1: have a good fighting camera and fight for the territory,
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: come and join us.
• 11:52
  Speaker 2: Well. It's going to be interesting to see how it
• 11:53
  Speaker 2: all rolls out on both sides of the fence. Opposition
• 11:56
  Speaker 2: leader leafdoki Airo always good to catch up. Thanks for
• 11:59
  Speaker 2: your time.
• 11:59
  Speaker 3: Thanks Kate, take care