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

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Let's head across right now and catch up with the
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Health Minister, Natasha Philes, who joins us on the line.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning to your minister.
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  Speaker 3: Good morning Katie.
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  Speaker 1: Now, Minister, it is being reported this morning that new
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  Speaker 1: data has been released by the Federal government and it's
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: shown a gap well between urban areas of Darwin and
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  Speaker 1: remote areas of the Northern Territory when it comes to
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: those vaccination rates. I think it's something that we probably
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: all have known about you, particularly as the Health minister,
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  Speaker 1: But how are we looking firstly as a whole when
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  Speaker 1: we talk about the rate of vaccination in the Northern Territory.
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  Speaker 3: So, Katie, Territorians have done a wonderful job and these
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  Speaker 3: statistics are theirs to own. Over two hundred and four
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  Speaker 3: thousand vaccine doses have been administered and the role out
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  Speaker 3: is continuing world Sixty three percent of Territorians have now
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  Speaker 3: received their first dose. But the figure that's really coming up, Katie,
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  Speaker 3: is forty four percent are now fully vaccinated. And so
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  Speaker 3: I certainly know that some people have been a little
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  Speaker 3: hesitant around the vaccine. It was developed very quickly, but
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  Speaker 3: had the world's brightest scientific and medical minds focused on
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  Speaker 3: this and so it is safe. It's been rigorously tested.
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  Speaker 3: So do encourage any of your listeners who have been
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  Speaker 3: hesitant to talk to their GP. Make sure they get
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  Speaker 3: their information from a truthful source that is accurate. And
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  Speaker 3: the vaccine is the best tool we've got to going
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  Speaker 3: back to life the way we knew it well.
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  Speaker 1: And we've been talking a lot more about you know,
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  Speaker 1: what point we need to be at before we can
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  Speaker 1: open up to other states a little bit more freely
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  Speaker 1: and when we will no longer need to go into
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  Speaker 1: those lockdowns. It's something that we spoke to the Chief
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  Speaker 1: Minister about yesterday. But by the sounds of things, our
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  Speaker 1: remote communities are the real.
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  Speaker 2: Concern at this point.
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  Speaker 1: We're not going to be able to sort of, you know,
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  Speaker 1: to totally open up or be able to go back
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  Speaker 1: to some kind of normality until those vaccination rates in
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  Speaker 1: our remote areas are up.
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  Speaker 2: How are they looking at the moment?
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  Speaker 3: Yes, Katie, So the remote statistics I just mentioned sixty
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  Speaker 3: three percent and forty four percent the remote stats are
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  Speaker 3: about ten per behind that. Fifty one percent of territories
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  Speaker 3: who have a remote address in our information system have
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  Speaker 3: received their first dose and thirty two percent have received
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  Speaker 3: their second dose, and our teams are right across the
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  Speaker 3: territory working with our aboriginal medical organizations. We're seeing some
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  Speaker 3: real innovation. The RFDS is out in the Big Rivers
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  Speaker 3: region delivering vaccines to cattle stations and communities in that area.
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  Speaker 3: So we certainly are focused on protecting the most vulnerable.
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  Speaker 3: It's heartbreaking what's happening in central New South Wales. We're
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  Speaker 3: in Pepe Palumpa this week, so we're certainly focused on
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  Speaker 3: making sure that it's not just our urban areas, but
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  Speaker 3: it's also a remote We do need that spread across
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  Speaker 3: our population that's vaccinated. We can't just simply have ninety
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  Speaker 3: percent in Darwin and our springs, for example. We've got
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  Speaker 3: to have that seventy eighty percent right across the territory.
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  Speaker 2: When do you think we're going to get there?
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  Speaker 1: Do you think that we are going to be there
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  Speaker 1: by sort of October November? How long do you anticipate
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  Speaker 1: that it is going to take? Because I know a
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  Speaker 1: lot of business people out there and those in different
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  Speaker 1: industries will be really hoping that we're able to, you know,
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  Speaker 1: to get the foot on the accelerator in terms of
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  Speaker 1: those vaccinations in remote areas.
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  Speaker 3: Yes, Katie, I was at the Hospitality Awards last night,
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  Speaker 3: and those businesses have been devastated, particularly when we go
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  Speaker 3: into it the snap lockdowns. We acknowledge how hard it
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  Speaker 3: is for business, and they need us to vaccinate the community.
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  Speaker 3: I think that you know that October November to have
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  Speaker 3: that seventy eighty percent across the territory is a really
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  Speaker 3: stick timeframe. That's what we're working towards in terms of
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  Speaker 3: offering everyone a vaccination. So I was out in what
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  Speaker 3: Are last week. Our teams were out there sitting in
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  Speaker 3: front of the shop saying to people, not tomorrow, get
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  Speaker 3: vaccinated today. The same in an Adelaide River yesterday. So
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  Speaker 3: people are being offered the vaccine. We need them to
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  Speaker 3: roll up their sleeve and take that vaccine.
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  Speaker 1: Why do you think there's such hesitancy in some of
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  Speaker 1: those remote communities, O, Katie.
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  Speaker 3: I acknowledge that the virus hasn't had an impact as
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  Speaker 3: much as other places in the territory. There is concern
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  Speaker 3: there's been misinformation and spread around. So that's why it's
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  Speaker 3: important for people to understand how thoroughly the vaccine's being tested.
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  Speaker 3: It's safe I'm vaccinated, my parents are vaccinated. And also Katie,
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  Speaker 3: in terms of the vaccine, it's free. You don't have
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  Speaker 3: to be a Medicare card holder. I know that I've
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  Speaker 3: had that question raised with me that people might be
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  Speaker 3: here on different visas or not have that Medicare card.
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  Speaker 3: Yet if you're in Australia right now, you can access
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  Speaker 3: that vaccine for free.
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  Speaker 1: How many kids have accessed the vaccine since it became
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  Speaker 1: open to those over the age of twelve, Katie's.
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  Speaker 3: Really interesting talking to our young people because their lives
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  Speaker 3: have probably been impacted just as significantly as ours. School
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  Speaker 3: is not what it was. There's concerts missing, camps missing,
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  Speaker 3: and they're really keen to play their part. And we
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  Speaker 3: saw the data up until the end of last week,
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  Speaker 3: five hundred and fifty territory kids had been vaccinated in
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  Speaker 3: that twelve to fifteen category. So that was only opened
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  Speaker 3: up sort of in the ten days before. That's the
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  Speaker 3: vulnerable territories and only late last week, but everyone in
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  Speaker 3: the Darwin area, so we're certainly seeing parents and children
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  Speaker 3: making that bookings. And as I said to the media
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  Speaker 3: last week that we will go into our schools in
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  Speaker 3: the coming weeks so it'll be very easy for parents
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  Speaker 3: to access the vaccine for their children. They'll be fully informed,
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  Speaker 3: they'll sign consent. But it's not unusual to do a
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  Speaker 3: vaccination program through schools.
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  Speaker 1: On those federal government on the federal government data that's
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  Speaker 1: been released in terms of the number of vaccinations and
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  Speaker 1: the areas where people have been more I guess forthright
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  Speaker 1: in terms of going out and getting vaccinated.
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  Speaker 2: What are some of the leading suburbs for us here
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  Speaker 2: in the territory.
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  Speaker 3: So, Katie, I don't have the data in front of me,
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  Speaker 3: but what it does show is that eighty one percent
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  Speaker 3: of the Darwin area has had a first vaccination rate.
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  Speaker 3: So that's where those figures released by the Commonwealth government
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  Speaker 3: and people are saying, hang on, I thought we were
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  Speaker 3: at sixty odd percent. So it's broken it down into
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  Speaker 3: those geographical areas. But I don't have the full stouts
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  Speaker 3: in front of me.
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  Speaker 1: Are there any suburbs or any areas though? That a
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  Speaker 1: real concern for you and you're sort of wondering why
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  Speaker 1: people in those areas aren't getting vaccinated, Katie.
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  Speaker 3: For us, it's been making sure that people I think
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  Speaker 3: the message that I just said that you don't have
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  Speaker 3: to be a Medicare cardholder. I know that some people,
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  Speaker 3: you know, think that they have to pay for it
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  Speaker 3: because they don't access medicare. That's been an area that
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  Speaker 3: we'd like to express that you don't need that, and
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  Speaker 3: also in remote communities that have largely been uncut, making
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  Speaker 3: them understand the virus is a very real threat and
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  Speaker 3: the best tool for them and their loved ones in
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  Speaker 3: their communities is to get vaccinated. But in saying that,
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  Speaker 3: some communities have done an excellent job have higher rates
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  Speaker 3: than some urban areas. So it is patchy, and that's
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  Speaker 3: why we're focused on getting that continuum across the territory
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  Speaker 3: of seventy to eighty percent, not ninety percent in some
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  Speaker 3: areas and much lower in other places.
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  Speaker 1: Now we know in Alice Springs well, the Territory Police
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  Speaker 1: have arrested a fifteen year old after an unlawful entry
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  Speaker 1: at the Todd Quarantine facility. Minister, have you been made
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  Speaker 1: aware of this and are you concerned that it could
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  Speaker 1: potentially see any kind of COVID breach or do you
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  Speaker 1: feel as though things are pretty secure at this point to.
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  Speaker 3: The Territory Control and the Police Commissioner has made sure
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  Speaker 3: that as a minister, I was certainly well aware of that.
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  Speaker 3: I do need to be careful in my comments, Katie.
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  Speaker 3: Police have arrested someone for an unlawful entry at that facility.
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  Speaker 3: There is a review of the current security measures being undertaken,
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  Speaker 3: and so we'll make sure that you know any inadequacies
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  Speaker 3: are dealt with. A breach such as this is rare
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  Speaker 3: and our security arrangements have been adequate to date, but
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  Speaker 3: we do need to review what's happened and make sure
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  Speaker 3: that we're not putting the community at risk. I'm advised
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  Speaker 3: that it's a very low risk. All the results for
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  Speaker 3: the people involved have returned to negative and also we've
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  Speaker 3: got that wastewater testing in our springs and that has
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  Speaker 3: still had negative results to date.
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  Speaker 2: All Right, I want to.
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  Speaker 1: Talk a little bit more with your tourism has on
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  Speaker 1: and firstly about Quantus. We know obviously we spoke about
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  Speaker 1: this a little bit throughout the week that was US Friday,
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  Speaker 1: but Quantus have obviously flagged the Northern Territory is the
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  Speaker 1: location where they want to increase flights a direct flight
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  Speaker 1: from Darwin to London. There's no doubt that this would
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  Speaker 1: have a significant impact for tourism.
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  Speaker 2: But how are we going to get there?
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  Speaker 1: You know, do you think that we're going to need
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  Speaker 1: to have any kind of incentive to try and entice
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  Speaker 1: Quantus to actually go down this path. We are obviously
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  Speaker 1: up against wa to.
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  Speaker 3: Katie, the Territory Labor Government, we've welcomed the plans for
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  Speaker 3: Quantus to consider Darwin as a hub. It makes sense.
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  Speaker 3: We've proven logistically that we are a great place for
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  Speaker 3: them to pivot all over the world. You've seen flights
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  Speaker 3: coming into Darwin from London, Southeast Asia, America over the
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  Speaker 3: past six months. With the International Repatriation I work very
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  Speaker 3: closely with QUANTUS as as the Chief Minister and will
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  Speaker 3: certainly any requests that they have of us as a
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  Speaker 3: government to make this hub happen, will be listening and
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  Speaker 3: working with them.
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  Speaker 1: So where are those talks at with Quantus at the moment?
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  Speaker 3: The Quantus are saying that they expect that the NonStop
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  Speaker 3: route will have hired the post COVID and that's logical sense, Katie.
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  Speaker 3: People are going to want to pivot from Australia directly
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  Speaker 3: to the country they're visiting, and so this provides an
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  Speaker 3: opportunity for the Northern territory, we'd have the Center for
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  Speaker 3: National Resilience. We've been working with Conscious around their crews
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  Speaker 3: using that facility, and so we're very open to what
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  Speaker 3: might be into the future, as we hopefully see sooner
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  Speaker 3: rather than later international tourism regime.
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  Speaker 2: What kind of.
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  Speaker 1: Impact do you think that this would have for us
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  Speaker 1: in terms of tourism into the northern territory. My understanding
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  Speaker 1: is that the UK is obviously a large visitor market
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  Speaker 1: for us here in the territory, So what kind of
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  Speaker 1: impact do you think this could potentially have if we
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  Speaker 1: can make it happen.
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  Speaker 3: So we're the closest Australian city to London, so it
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  Speaker 3: makes logical sense. But I think it's exciting the opportunities
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  Speaker 3: people will use Darwin as that layover destination as they
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  Speaker 3: pivot into Australia. There is certainly plenty to see here
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  Speaker 3: and so you know people will then as you tend
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  Speaker 3: to do when you used to travel, Katie, if you
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  Speaker 3: had to take a long haul flight, you used to
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  Speaker 3: spend a few day at the location where you first arrived.
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  Speaker 3: And so we've got that opportunity to really be at
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  Speaker 3: the forefront of international tourism. So we'll work very closely,
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  Speaker 3: of course keeping our community safe as a priority, but
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  Speaker 3: these are the plans that we need to start to
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  Speaker 3: work towards.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, is our vaccination rate going to hinder us in
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  Speaker 1: any way here? I mean obviously you and the chiefness
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  Speaker 1: to have both been really clear saying that those vaccination
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: rates need to be really high to avoid any any
• 10:24
  Speaker 1: future sort of lockdowns. But also when we talk about
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  Speaker 1: opening up the Northern territory, so are you concerned that
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: our vaccination rate in those remote communities could actually hinder
• 10:34
  Speaker 1: this happening if they're not at where you want them
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  Speaker 1: to be.
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  Speaker 3: Oh so, Katie, we've seen our vaccination rates are leading
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  Speaker 3: the nation and we've been incredibly focused on that, knowing
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  Speaker 3: that that is what we need for business certainty going forward.
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  Speaker 3: So this plan of quantus hubbing through Darwin is some
• 10:51
  Speaker 3: months off and all decisions will be made with the
• 10:53
  Speaker 3: safety of our community, but it's another reason to drive
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  Speaker 3: that vaccination rate as quickly as possible to get to
• 11:00
  Speaker 3: that high figure.
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  Speaker 1: One other thing that is a big concern at the
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: moment is tourism in Central Australia. I know we've caught
• 11:07
  Speaker 1: up with Daniel Rochford from Tourism Central Australia. On a
• 11:10
  Speaker 1: number of occasions we've spoken about the rate of flights
• 11:13
  Speaker 1: that are going into the likes of Ularou at the moment,
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  Speaker 1: it's incredibly low. We all understand why that visitor market
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: from New South Wales, Victoria and others is obviously well
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: next to nothing at this point, essentially nothing because they
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: are in lockdown and are declared a hotspot.
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  Speaker 2: What support is.
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  Speaker 1: Being provided to our tourism operators in Central Australia at
• 11:35
  Speaker 1: the moment.
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  Speaker 3: The Katie, we're very conscious that the tourism sector that
• 11:39
  Speaker 3: there's not a one size model right across that will
• 11:41
  Speaker 3: support this industry that's been particularly devastated tourism and hospitality
• 11:45
  Speaker 3: in Central Australia specifically, we've been working with Tourism Central
• 11:49
  Speaker 3: Australia and Daniel and Patrick. We put in place earlier
• 11:52
  Speaker 3: this year in late March a Mates rates campaign, so
• 11:55
  Speaker 3: working specifically with them, they said we want this project,
• 11:58
  Speaker 3: it's tailored to fit our mark, so we provided over
• 12:01
  Speaker 3: one point two million dollars towards that. We've been working
• 12:03
  Speaker 3: with the Commonwealth who've provided significant resources. Of course, with
• 12:07
  Speaker 3: the Tourism vouchers, we've got that incentive if you do
• 12:09
  Speaker 3: travel further. And the other thing, Katie is there's particular
• 12:13
  Speaker 3: sectors in the tourism industry and in Central Australia, such
• 12:16
  Speaker 3: as tour operators and event organizers, and so we made
• 12:20
  Speaker 3: an announcement just a week or so ago around support
• 12:24
  Speaker 3: for them specifically because there's some areas that just can't
• 12:28
  Speaker 3: bounce back even with vouchers and people domestically, so it's
• 12:32
  Speaker 3: a multifaceted approach to supporting them. Is all of that enough, Oh, Katie,
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  Speaker 3: it's devastating and we you know, tourism is a significant
• 12:42
  Speaker 3: economic contributed territory wide and into Central Australia. As you said,
• 12:46
  Speaker 3: Central Australia relied heavily on international tourists who have a
• 12:50
  Speaker 3: different market to domestic tourists, and so we're certainly putting
• 12:54
  Speaker 3: what support we can in place right across the area.
• 12:57
  Speaker 1: So we need to look at, you know, some kind
• 12:59
  Speaker 1: of of subsidized flights from Darwin to the likes of
• 13:03
  Speaker 1: Central Australia so that we do see a situation maybe
• 13:06
  Speaker 1: during the school holidays. We're territori ands i e. Those
• 13:10
  Speaker 1: that live up in the top end are able to
• 13:12
  Speaker 1: fly down to central Australia and support those local businesses.
• 13:16
  Speaker 3: We do have the extra incentive on the tourism about Katie.
• 13:19
  Speaker 3: I know it's a small amount, but we are trying.
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  Speaker 3: We've also had last year our Summer on Sales campaign
• 13:25
  Speaker 3: which provided a discount for people coming from outside the
• 13:28
  Speaker 3: territory or people in the territory could use it, but
• 13:30
  Speaker 3: outside the territory is what it was specifically aimed at
• 13:33
  Speaker 3: to help reduce the cost of those flights. So as
• 13:35
  Speaker 3: a government, we've put in place a range of measures.
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  Speaker 3: Of course, we can never make up for all of
• 13:39
  Speaker 3: that international particularly market, but we're certainly working with the
• 13:43
  Speaker 3: sector and I think that makes rates campaign points to.
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  Speaker 1: That all right, Minister for Health and also Minister for Tourism,
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  Speaker 1: Natasha Files, thank you for your time this morning.
• 13:52
  Speaker 3: Thanks Katie,