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Katie Woolf spoke with Member for Solomon Luke Gosling · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: You're listening to Mix one O four point nine three sixteen.
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  Speaker 1: Now we know that Parliament is sitting in Canberra at
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  Speaker 1: the moment, and joining me live on the line is
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  Speaker 1: the Northern Territories Member for Solomon, Luke Goslin. Good morning, Luke,
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  Speaker 1: Hey Katie, how are you very well now? Luke plenty
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  Speaker 1: on the agenda this week, no doubt in Parliament.
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  Speaker 2: There's heaps, Katie, and it's a two weeks sitting. But
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  Speaker 2: I'm coming back to Darwin for Friday for the commemorations
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  Speaker 2: of the bombing of Darwin, so looking forward to that.
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  Speaker 2: But there we've been really debating some of the issues
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  Speaker 2: around jobs at the moment, and in particular I've been
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  Speaker 2: putting forward the concerns of a lot of those tourism
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  Speaker 2: businesses and tour operators in Darwin about that job keeper
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  Speaker 2: being turned off next month. But still obviously with the
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  Speaker 2: international borders closed, there's less tourists around and just keeping
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  Speaker 2: that going so we keep territory employed and connected to
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  Speaker 2: their business and not on the unemployment queues until we
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  Speaker 2: get into the dry season and eventually obviously our international
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  Speaker 2: boarders all open up again.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I think it's a point well worth making because
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  Speaker 1: that tourism sector has been hit incredibly hard. There is
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  Speaker 1: no doubt about that. We hear that from you know,
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  Speaker 1: tourism top end right down to tourism in Central Australia. Luke,
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  Speaker 1: Is there any indication at this point that they are
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  Speaker 1: going to extend that payment for those in the sector.
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  Speaker 2: There are some rumors that the government might be working
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  Speaker 2: on such a package, and I've been encouraged encouraging them
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  Speaker 2: to do that because you know, it really makes sense
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  Speaker 2: not just for territory businesses and employees of those businesses
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  Speaker 2: in Darwin, but in other places that are really exposed
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  Speaker 2: from the lack of tourism. And when you look at it,
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  Speaker 2: the benefit to the community is we would rather people
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  Speaker 2: still connected to their workplace, to the businesses that they
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  Speaker 2: work for, rather than on the unemployment cues. When really
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  Speaker 2: job keeper is not that much higher than job seeker.
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  Speaker 2: So let's keep people in jobs rather than have them
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  Speaker 2: on the unemployment cues. And I think that'll be good
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  Speaker 2: for our economy, but it's also good for all the families,
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  Speaker 2: and so I'll keep fighting for the territory workers in
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  Speaker 2: those industries down here this.
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  Speaker 1: Week, k look, let's move along. I know that something
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  Speaker 1: that you're incredibly passionate about, and you and I have
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  Speaker 1: spoken about on numerous occasions, is the you know, the
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  Speaker 1: really tragic incidence that we've got here in the Northern
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  Speaker 1: Territory and all around Australia around veteran suicide. You continue
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  Speaker 1: to call for a Royal commission into veteran suicide. Where
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  Speaker 1: are we at in this space?
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  Speaker 2: Unfortunately, Katie, the government come up with a bit of
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  Speaker 2: a workaround, and I can continually concerned that the federal government,
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  Speaker 2: Scott Morrison and his team, including the former defense members
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  Speaker 2: in his team, continue to pretend that their workaround with
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  Speaker 2: a National Commissioner for Defense and veterans suicide is going
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  Speaker 2: to be the answer. What I'm finding out from talking
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  Speaker 2: to members of the Liberal Party is that no one
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  Speaker 2: in the Liberal Party wants a Royal commission into veteran
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  Speaker 2: suicide because it's too expensive, they say, at one hundred
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  Speaker 2: million dollars. But at the same time they've given five
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  Speaker 2: hundred million dollars for upgrades to the Australian War meerm OIL.
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  Speaker 2: So what I want them to do is get their
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  Speaker 2: heads out of their ass particularly the former defense members.
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  Speaker 2: Remember where they came from and back a Royal commission
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  Speaker 2: which is arm's length and can give us some recommendations
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  Speaker 2: from all those stories of hurt and anguish out there
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  Speaker 2: in the veg In community that will give us a
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  Speaker 2: better system and have less suicides into the future. So
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  Speaker 2: one hundred million for a Royal commission to get it right.
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  Speaker 2: But at the same time they're saying no to that,
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  Speaker 2: but giving five hundred million to the Australian War Memorial, which
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  Speaker 2: is a fantastic institution in our nation. But let's face it,
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  Speaker 2: we'd rather be saving lives than getting better exhibitions at
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  Speaker 2: the War Memorial.
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  Speaker 1: Look, look, I can sense your passion in this space
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  Speaker 1: and there's certainly some very strong words. Look to sort
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  Speaker 1: of play Devil's advocate just for a moment here. Could
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  Speaker 1: we end up in a situation though, if there's a
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  Speaker 1: Royal commission where you know, it takes an awfully long time,
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  Speaker 1: there's a lot of money spent, and there's no change
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  Speaker 1: in this space.
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  Speaker 2: Now. Obviously the work that's happening at the moment in
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  Speaker 2: Darwin and other places will continue whilst a Royal commission happens. Now,
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  Speaker 2: don't forget, Katie, that we call for this royal commission
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  Speaker 2: eighteen months ago, and the veterans community was calling strongly
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  Speaker 2: for it as well. It would be done by now
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  Speaker 2: and we would have the recommendations to implement because the
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  Speaker 2: system is broken. We've got a system that actually rewards
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  Speaker 2: unwellness and isn't geared up enough to getting veterans into
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  Speaker 2: work and supported. But it doesn't link up. The ex
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  Speaker 2: service organizations will get the Department of Veterans Affairs and
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  Speaker 2: their services. Whilst the individuals in those organizations are doing
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  Speaker 2: a great job, people are falling through the cracks, particularly
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  Speaker 2: people who are medically discharged. So a royal commission will
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  Speaker 2: want The last time we had a royal commission into
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  Speaker 2: veteran suicide was a century ago. And let's not forget
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  Speaker 2: that the Coalition had royal commissions into the labor movement
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  Speaker 2: that come up with nothing, lost about one hundred million
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  Speaker 2: dollars and was politically motivated. This isn't motivated by anything else.
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  Speaker 2: A royal commission of a veteran suicide not moti by
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  Speaker 2: anything else than stopping suicide. Yeah, and we all should
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  Speaker 2: be supporting that.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, and look, I think it is something that's like
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  Speaker 1: I said, it's so important to people all around Australia,
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  Speaker 1: but particularly here in the Northern Territory, given you know,
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  Speaker 1: our high number of defense personnel and all military personnel.
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  Speaker 1: You know, we've spoken at different times as well to
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  Speaker 1: some of the wonderful people that are trying to make
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  Speaker 1: some change in this space. I know, even on Friday,
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  Speaker 1: the reeling for veterans, they're having a bit of a fundraiser.
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  Speaker 1: They're just one of the groups that really, you know,
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  Speaker 1: tries to sort of support each other in this area. Luke,
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  Speaker 1: let's move along a little bit, but still sort of
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  Speaker 1: sticking with this with the defense theme, and we know
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  Speaker 1: that the bombing of Darwin commemorations are happening on Friday.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, this really just is a reminder of our
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  Speaker 1: importance here in the Northern Territory and how we are
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  Speaker 1: impacted or how we have been impacted with the bombing
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  Speaker 1: of Darwin.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, and let's not forget the civilian impacts as well, Katie.
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  Speaker 2: That's really important and something that I talked to local
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  Speaker 2: families about all the time. Not only were their servicemen killed,
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  Speaker 2: American servicemen killed, other allies were killed. This is the
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  Speaker 2: seventy ninth anniversary of when Australia came under attack and
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  Speaker 2: we are the front line, We always have been, we
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  Speaker 2: always will be into the future. So will we play
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  Speaker 2: a very important role in safeguarding Australia's military heritage and
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  Speaker 2: these ceremonies, these commemorations are a big part of that.
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  Speaker 2: So the Veterans Affairs Minister is coming up hopefully that
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  Speaker 2: will provide an opportunity for local veterans to speak with
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  Speaker 2: him about the well being centers, the ex service organizations
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  Speaker 2: like Reeling Veterans and how much of a great job
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  Speaker 2: they're doing using fishing as that vehicle for allowing people
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  Speaker 2: to talk and to feel are really supported and tell
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  Speaker 2: their story and get linked up with support. So all
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  Speaker 2: that's really important. I really feel for some of the
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  Speaker 2: civilians when the memorial Wall was taken away to make
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  Speaker 2: way for the Eternal Flame. As important as the Eternal
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  Speaker 2: Flame is, we've got to always remember that it was
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  Speaker 2: the civilians here in Darwin during the war that really
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  Speaker 2: contributed to the war effort. Some of them were evacuated
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  Speaker 2: down south, but some of them obviously stayed here, defended
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  Speaker 2: Darwin and rebuilt Darwaen after the war we've really got
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  Speaker 2: to keep remember to pay tribute to those families that
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  Speaker 2: rebuilt Darwin after the war and suffered so much during
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  Speaker 2: the war.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, a very important point to make there, Luke. Hey,
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  Speaker 1: we are going to we are going to have to
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  Speaker 1: get ready to wrap up, but I did just want
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  Speaker 1: to say thanks very much for the mention in Federal
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  Speaker 1: Parliament as well, Luke, and I know that you certainly
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  Speaker 1: had a bit of a shout out to all of
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  Speaker 1: the wonderful territory and who were on a on Australia Day. Yeah.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely, Katie. Congrats to everyone that was awarded on Australia
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  Speaker 2: and congrats to everyone else out in the community that's
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  Speaker 2: doing awesome work. When I mentioned to some people down
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  Speaker 2: here in Canberra that that you, Katie were had received award,
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  Speaker 2: there there was lots of congratulations that people wanted to
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  Speaker 2: pass back because they know have you work in particular
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  Speaker 2: for the prostate cancer awareness and so congrats from crew
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  Speaker 2: down here and looking forward to getting back to Darwin
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  Speaker 2: to commemorate that very special bombing of Darwin anniversary on Friday.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, thank you very much, Luke. We will catch up
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  Speaker 1: with you again very soon and we thank you for
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  Speaker 1: your time today from Canberra.
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  Speaker 2: Cheers, Katie, thank you.
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  Speaker 1: You're listening to Mix one O four point nine three sixty.
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  Speaker 1: That was the member for Solomon there, Luke Gosling