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

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Well, Parliament resumes in the Northern Territory this morning for
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: the first time since the August twenty second election. Joining
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  Speaker 1: me on the line is the Leader of Government Business
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  Speaker 1: at Tasha Files.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning, Good morning, Katie, Good morning listener.
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  Speaker 1: Now, Minister, we know it is the first time that
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  Speaker 1: Parliament's going to sit since Labor was re elected. What's
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  Speaker 1: on the agenda so this.
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  Speaker 2: Morning, Katie, it'll be some proceedings that are quite ceremonial
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  Speaker 2: with all members of the Assembly this morning, and of
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  Speaker 2: course that those new members to the Parliament will have
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  Speaker 2: a welcome to country with Richard Piedro. But then it
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  Speaker 2: will be straight to business and we'll be making sure
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  Speaker 2: that we're focused on territory in job creation and keeping
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  Speaker 2: people safe from the coronavirus.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah. I noted in a statement yesterday that the Territory
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  Speaker 1: Labor government said they will formally set their job creating
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  Speaker 1: agenda for the next four years today in Parliament.
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  Speaker 2: How so, we have the formal speech to the Parliament
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  Speaker 2: so delivered by the Administrator, and then the Chief Minister
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  Speaker 2: responds outlining our strong plans for the next four years.
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  Speaker 2: We know that we've kept people safe from the coronavirus
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  Speaker 2: and now's our opportunity to be that comeback capital and
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  Speaker 2: so we're looking at diversifying the economy, making sure that
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  Speaker 2: we really build upon the opportunities we have here in
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  Speaker 2: the territory. So that will be straight on the agenda
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  Speaker 2: this morning, following that ceremonial proceeding.
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  Speaker 1: So what legislation is going to be introduced in Parliament
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  Speaker 1: this week?
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  Speaker 2: So, Katie, when a new Assembly is sworn in, everything
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  Speaker 2: that's previously been on a notice paper or perhaps before
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  Speaker 2: the Assembly does, it goes away, and so there'll be
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  Speaker 2: two pieces of legislation introduced, and then of course in
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  Speaker 2: the November sittings just in a few weeks time, we'll
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  Speaker 2: be delivering our budget.
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  Speaker 1: So Minister, if the agenda is job creation, why is
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  Speaker 1: there no legislation being introduced today or this week in
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  Speaker 1: Parliament around that?
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  Speaker 2: So, Katie, there's two pieces of legislation being introduced, and then,
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  Speaker 2: as we've publicly outlined, the Chief Minister will deliver his
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  Speaker 2: budget in November and there'll be pieces of legislation to
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  Speaker 2: do with that, as there always is, and then we'll
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  Speaker 2: come back in December. It'll go through the estimates process
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  Speaker 2: and that budget will pass, so we're very much straight
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  Speaker 2: back to work, recognizing that territories have had a really
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  Speaker 2: difficult year and as we shift the attention from that
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  Speaker 2: health crisis across to the economic opportunities that we have.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, so today or this week though, there's no legislation
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  Speaker 1: around job creation or anything else sort of in that arena,
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  Speaker 1: so that.
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  Speaker 2: Will be in the budget that's delivered in early November.
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  Speaker 1: So I'll have to wait a few more weeks to
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  Speaker 1: find out exactly how those jobs are going to be created.
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  Speaker 1: By the sounds of it.
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  Speaker 2: Katie, we've certainly beaten on the record around diversifying the
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  Speaker 2: economy pivoting off the opportunities we have, so certainly that
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  Speaker 2: will be a focus in the Chief Ministry speech this morning.
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  Speaker 1: Now, Minister a question that has been sent through to
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  Speaker 1: us by one of our listeners. They're wondering where that
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  Speaker 1: pet legislation is at. That was introduced well before coronavirus hit.
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  Speaker 2: So, Katie, we had the legislation around tendancies and as
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  Speaker 2: a part of that, with changes allowing the presumption for
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  Speaker 2: tenants to have a PET, that process did go to
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  Speaker 2: NTCAT if someone did want it to not have a
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  Speaker 2: pet and so with the COVID impact on services, that
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  Speaker 2: legislation was deferred. And my understanding is that legislation is
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  Speaker 2: still deferred. It hasn't been gazetted.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, really, is it something that you're going to
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  Speaker 1: introduce at this point. It did bring about quite a
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  Speaker 1: bit of negative feedback. People weren't overly keen.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, Katie, it's certainly brought out mixed views in the community.
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  Speaker 2: And I know that the new Attorney General, Selene Obo
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  Speaker 2: has been looking at that, so that would be a
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  Speaker 2: question best.
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  Speaker 1: Place for her, Okay, so that one falls under her portfolio, now.
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  Speaker 2: Correct, that falls in there. And we've also got the
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  Speaker 2: Minister for Urban Housing as well.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, I am keen to ask you a little bit
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  Speaker 1: more about the Howard Springs facility, but particularly about those evacuees,
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  Speaker 1: those ex pats, those Aussie ex pats that we are
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  Speaker 1: anticipating will begin arriving on Friday this week. We did
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  Speaker 1: ask the Chief Minister yesterday about how exactly that payment
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  Speaker 1: is happening. Take a listen. Are the people that we
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  Speaker 1: are repatriating back here to the Northern Territory from other
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  Speaker 1: parts of the world. Those Aussies, they are going to
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  Speaker 1: be paying themselves that two and a half thousand dollars up.
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  Speaker 2: An Australian gunment will be doing the charging on that one.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, yeah, so still the twenty four hundred, so consistent pricing,
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  Speaker 1: but Australian gunments can be doing that charging. So excuse
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  Speaker 1: my ignorance, but how exactly is it going to work here?
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  Speaker 1: Is it a situation where the federal government is paying
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  Speaker 1: the Northern Territory government to facilitate the evacuees and then
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  Speaker 1: they're invoicing the evacuees. How exactly does it work, Katie?
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  Speaker 2: Exactly as you've just outlined. So the Northern Territory government
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  Speaker 2: in the Australian government will have formal agreement and that
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  Speaker 2: was the fifty or over fifty million dollars that the
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  Speaker 2: federal government announced that will come through the National Critical
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  Speaker 2: Care and Trauma Center and into the Northern Churchary government
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  Speaker 2: to make sure that territory tax payers are not worse
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  Speaker 2: off throan this. The Australian government then collect that fee
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  Speaker 2: from Australians for the quarantine services at that center.
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  Speaker 1: Now, obviously that is where we are going to be
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  Speaker 1: housing these Australian expats I believe that they're coming in
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  Speaker 1: waves of five hundred, and really the exact number at
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  Speaker 1: this point is looking like it's going to be around
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  Speaker 1: five thousand. Is that right?
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  Speaker 2: So, Katie, what we have agreed to is to get
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  Speaker 2: these OSSI's home, These the mum's, dad, cousin's relatives who
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  Speaker 2: need a pathway into Australia, and that facility has proven
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  Speaker 2: from its state based quarantining that it works well. So
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  Speaker 2: a section of that is going to be co hoorted
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  Speaker 2: off for the international arrivs and so people will work
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  Speaker 2: with DEFAT, they'll book their tickets and the Australian government
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  Speaker 2: will collect those fees from them.
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  Speaker 1: Okay. Senator Sam McMahon this morning has told the Northern
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  Speaker 1: Territory News that she Reckons Bladon Village has got about
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  Speaker 1: two thousand beds and enough space to handle five hundred
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  Speaker 1: repatriating OSSI's a fortnite to help more stranded ossis come
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  Speaker 1: home before Christmas. What do you think is this a
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  Speaker 1: good idea?
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  Speaker 2: So, Senator Sam McMahon, of course, as our senator and
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  Speaker 2: as a member of the Liberal Coalition government should suggest
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  Speaker 2: these ideas directly to the federal ministers. But that is
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  Speaker 2: a privately owned facility. It's not owned or run by
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  Speaker 2: the Northern Territory government. And so the repatriation of Ozzie's
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  Speaker 2: into Australia, the Federal government has taken that responsibility. We've
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  Speaker 2: worked with them around the Howard Springs facility and it's
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  Speaker 2: important for your listeners to note, Katie that we will
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  Speaker 2: still be operating state based quarantine at Howard Springs. We
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  Speaker 2: still have capacity if we were to see an outbreak
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  Speaker 2: in the Northern Territory, and so we very much made
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  Speaker 2: sure that Territorians are kept in terms of, you know,
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  Speaker 2: making sure their priorities are there in running that facility.
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  Speaker 2: But there was the opportunity at Howard Springs for those
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  Speaker 2: beds to help get Ousie's home. If other people have
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  Speaker 2: other ideas, they're certainly welcome to push them to the
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  Speaker 2: federal government.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, So it's not actually a Northern Territory government decision
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  Speaker 1: by the sounds of things. If this is going to happen,
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  Speaker 1: it needs to be facilitated through the Federal government.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely, the repatriation of Australians caught up overseas and there's
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  Speaker 2: many tragic stories, Katie, and we do need to get
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  Speaker 2: these people home is the responsibility of the federal government.
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  Speaker 2: We've worked with them around the facility that we own
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  Speaker 2: and we operate Howard's Greens. But other ideas. The senateent
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  Speaker 2: man should talk to her colleague.
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  Speaker 1: If the federal government came forward and said, look, let's
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  Speaker 1: look at another facility in the Northern Territory, would you
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  Speaker 1: go for it.
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  Speaker 2: We'd put the interests of territories first. That's what we've
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  Speaker 2: done throughout coronavirus. That's what we've done in working through
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  Speaker 2: the Howard Springs arrangement around making sure as I've just
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  Speaker 2: outlined for you, I won't rego over it again, but
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  Speaker 2: there's capacity for the territory if we were to need
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  Speaker 2: that facility for our own use, and we can continue
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  Speaker 2: to run the state based hotspot quarantining at the same time.
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  Speaker 1: Minister, just one other topic that I'm keen to ask
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  Speaker 1: you about this morning. We know that a joint coronial
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  Speaker 1: inquiry into the deaths of three youths in Arnham Land,
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  Speaker 1: who each died after a long history of petrol sniffing,
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  Speaker 1: concluded yesterday. It is reported today in the Northern Territory
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  Speaker 1: News the rageous failings and indifference of the Northern Territory
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  Speaker 1: Health Department may have caused the deaths of three children.
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  Speaker 1: That's what the inquest has heard now. In his final address,
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  Speaker 1: Counsel Assistant Kelvin Curry said department staff had ignored critical
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  Speaker 1: findings from a previous inquest in twenty seventeen by continuing
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  Speaker 1: to fly out their legal requirements. Mister Curry said the
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  Speaker 1: earlier inquiry found department workers had failed to prepare a
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  Speaker 1: report for the Chief Health Officer with treatment options as
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  Speaker 1: required by law. Minister, what changes are going to be
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  Speaker 1: made as a result of this inquest?
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  Speaker 2: Katie? Before I respond to your question, the death of
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  Speaker 2: any child is tragic and we send our sympathies to
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  Speaker 2: the family and friends and the communities impacted by this.
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  Speaker 2: The Department of Health and other agencies have been cooperating
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  Speaker 2: with the coronial investigation. It's an extremely complex matter which
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  Speaker 2: involves the range of stakeholders from both government and non
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  Speaker 2: government along with community and of course the coroner will
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  Speaker 2: hand down his findings and will certainly when we receive
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  Speaker 2: that act upon it.
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  Speaker 1: Has the system failed these kids, Katie?
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  Speaker 2: The matter has just the hearings have just wound up
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  Speaker 2: and so we'll await that report to make sure that
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  Speaker 2: we have all the information presented to us before we
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  Speaker 2: provide comment. But it is extremely, you know, tragic what
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  Speaker 2: has happened. It's a complex matter and we certainly need
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  Speaker 2: to do better.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, as you as the Minister for Health, are
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  Speaker 1: you prepared to make legislative changes or to do anything
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  Speaker 1: that's required to ensure that this doesn't happen again.
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  Speaker 2: So Katie, I do want to be careful with my
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  Speaker 2: comments because the Currenter hasn't handed down his final report.
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  Speaker 2: But I understand there was a coronial previously and there
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  Speaker 2: was some recommendation, so we need to see in the
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  Speaker 2: investigation into this incident what took place and compare that
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  Speaker 2: against those recommendations, the current legislation and processes and go
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  Speaker 2: from there.
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  Speaker 1: Well, Minister for Health also Leader of Government Business and
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  Speaker 1: Minister for Tourism, Natasha Files, we always appreciate your time
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  Speaker 1: good luck in Parliament today.
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  Speaker 2: Thanks Katie.
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  Speaker 1: You are listening to Mix one oh four point nine
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  Speaker 1: three sixty m HM.