Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie spoke with Opposition Leader Lia Finochiarro for her take on how the Government is handling the Territory's escalating Covid outbreak

Transcript

Katie spoke with Opposition Leader Lia Finochiarro for her take on how the Government is handling the Territory's escalating Covid outbreak · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Joining me in the studio well for the last interview
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: of the year, the Opposition leader leofanoki Aro.
• 0:06
  Speaker 2: Good morning to you Land, Good morning Katie. We've made
• 0:08
  Speaker 2: it to Christmas.
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: Well. I honestly it's been a bit of a struggle
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: at times this year.
• 0:13
  Speaker 2: I've got to tell you it has. It has. It's
• 0:16
  Speaker 2: been a very busy one, hey, Leah.
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: Those in Central Australia and indeed the Barkley are today
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: going to be waiting with anticipation to find out the
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: latest when it comes to COVID and wondering if they
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: will exit lockdown. No. On Monday we spoke to Steve
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: Edgington who was really quite critical of the government not
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: communicating with the community.
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: Why does the COLP feel that.
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: The community isn't receiving the communication?
• 0:39
  Speaker 3: Yeah, well, of course the Gunner government have a very
• 0:42
  Speaker 3: closed shop approach when it comes to COVID. They like
• 0:44
  Speaker 3: to hold all of the information very closed. They like
• 0:47
  Speaker 3: to have pomp and ceremony around their announcements and then
• 0:50
  Speaker 3: they like to run and hide and disappear and hope
• 0:52
  Speaker 3: that everyone can work out what they're supposed to do.
• 0:54
  Speaker 3: Now you know, that might be fine and in a
• 0:57
  Speaker 3: big city where people have a different way of consuming information.
• 1:00
  Speaker 3: But in a small town, you know, in a small
• 1:03
  Speaker 3: place like Tenant Creek, like Alice Springs, you know, everyone
• 1:06
  Speaker 3: knows each other, everyone is constantly talking. There is a
• 1:08
  Speaker 3: really good network of and information flows really fast. And
• 1:12
  Speaker 3: so I can imagine, and certainly Steve Edgington has been
• 1:15
  Speaker 3: banging the government, banging down the doors of the government
• 1:18
  Speaker 3: to say, come on, don't don't treat us with your
• 1:20
  Speaker 3: flags and pomp and ceremony. We need the information and
• 1:23
  Speaker 3: we need it fast. Because of course it's flowing so quickly.
• 1:25
  Speaker 3: Everyone knows everything before government have even announced it.
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: But so, why do you think the community of Tenant
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: Creek and into those in the Barklay needs something different
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: to the press conference that happens for the other communities.
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: Well, I don't.
• 1:37
  Speaker 3: I think it should always be a good information flow.
• 1:40
  Speaker 3: But I guess the difference is in a small community,
• 1:42
  Speaker 3: when someone's gone into isolation in the hospital, or if
• 1:45
  Speaker 3: someone's doing something, everyone knows about it in ten minutes flat,
• 1:48
  Speaker 3: whereas in Darwin there's obviously.
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: More of us. So you know, it's just a bit different.
• 1:53
  Speaker 3: But I think what we've seen recently is the need
• 1:56
  Speaker 3: for a real shift in how government manages its communications
• 2:00
  Speaker 3: on COVID. Of course we've opened up now there is
• 2:03
  Speaker 3: COVID in our community and people deserve to know things
• 2:06
  Speaker 3: much quicker. We can have less pomp and ceremony and
• 2:09
  Speaker 3: more fast flow of information.
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: To be happening here. Do you think that they should
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: be just issuing a pressure lease every time someone goes
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: into hospital or what do you think needs to happen.
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: Yeah, well it can be done that way.
• 2:19
  Speaker 3: It can be done through local members of parliament, you know,
• 2:22
  Speaker 3: it could be done through local councils. You know, there's
• 2:25
  Speaker 3: lots of ways to disseminate information, and certainly in Central
• 2:29
  Speaker 3: Australia and the Barkley, you know there are a lot
• 2:32
  Speaker 3: of stakeholders particularly you know when you talk to about
• 2:34
  Speaker 3: am SAND or even the AMA, and you know whether
• 2:38
  Speaker 3: the government needs to move to a more collaborative model
• 2:40
  Speaker 3: where everyone's briefed on what's going on, because we've seen
• 2:43
  Speaker 3: over the last couple of weeks how disastrous that lack
• 2:46
  Speaker 3: of consultation has been. And then that way everyone can
• 2:49
  Speaker 3: go at and have that consolidated energy on pushing whatever
• 2:53
  Speaker 3: the message might be, rather than government rocking up, announcing something,
• 2:56
  Speaker 3: everyone flipping out about it, causing mass confusion, and then
• 2:59
  Speaker 3: government having to backpedal.
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: So is the issue here with the press conferences or
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: is the issue here with the lack of consultation.
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: I think it's both.
• 3:07
  Speaker 3: I think what we've got is withholding of information until
• 3:10
  Speaker 3: a time that suits government, which obviously causes confusion, stress, angst,
• 3:15
  Speaker 3: and rumors in the lead up to that, and then
• 3:18
  Speaker 3: there's a lack of consultation either with industry or with
• 3:20
  Speaker 3: other medical stakeholders on the ground, and particularly in the
• 3:23
  Speaker 3: regions you know, a lot of it is the Aboriginal
• 3:25
  Speaker 3: Medical Health services who are delivering vaccinations, who are providing
• 3:28
  Speaker 3: that support on the ground. So I think a reboot
• 3:32
  Speaker 3: of how government approaches COVID is needed going forward.
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: Look, I would agree when it comes to the consultation,
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: I do think that they need to make sure that
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: they're consulting with the industry and indeed consulting with the
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: Aboriginal health and those different groups. But I actually think
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: that if we end up in a situation where we're
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: expecting local members and we're expecting the councils to disseminate
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: information to those communities, I reckon it's going to be
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: a dog's breakfast.
• 3:55
  Speaker 2: It's more about having them involved.
• 3:58
  Speaker 3: If you think about a place like Tenant Crete, who's
• 4:00
  Speaker 3: on the ground down there. You've got the mayor Jeff McLaughlin,
• 4:02
  Speaker 3: and you've got Steve Edgington, the local member. You don't
• 4:05
  Speaker 3: have anyone from government. You don't have government ministers flying
• 4:08
  Speaker 3: down there. Of course you have police and the health
• 4:11
  Speaker 3: people on the ground, so that can be clear.
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: Though the issue here is more not that the community
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: is not being consulted with, but all communicated with, but
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: not but that the local members and the mayors.
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: Aren't No, no, both, No, no, it's both.
• 4:23
  Speaker 3: So so what I'm saying is is number one, we've
• 4:25
  Speaker 3: seen the government not consult So we had their issue
• 4:28
  Speaker 3: two weeks ago where industry groups weren't consulted and of
• 4:31
  Speaker 3: course government had to backflip on what twenty December would
• 4:34
  Speaker 3: look like.
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: Then you've got the.
• 4:35
  Speaker 3: Issue of a lack of consultation with key stakeholders like counselors,
• 4:39
  Speaker 3: like local members, like the medical associations, who are the
• 4:42
  Speaker 3: ones who are going to be providing all of the
• 4:45
  Speaker 3: actual input on the ground. So I think government, So
• 4:48
  Speaker 3: for example, if government have their SEMs meeting. The next
• 4:52
  Speaker 3: step could be that consultation with all the key people
• 4:55
  Speaker 3: in said community who are going to implement it.
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: So if it's a small community.
• 4:58
  Speaker 3: It might just be the police and the versus the
• 5:00
  Speaker 3: local councilors and local elders for example, and then that
• 5:05
  Speaker 3: information it still gets done by government, but the key
• 5:07
  Speaker 3: people who are going to be the ones that everyone
• 5:09
  Speaker 3: turns to also have that information because as local members
• 5:13
  Speaker 3: for example, as a council, as elders in a community,
• 5:16
  Speaker 3: everyone comes to you and says what do we have
• 5:18
  Speaker 3: to do now?
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: If those people.
• 5:19
  Speaker 3: Don't know and can't give the correct information, that's where
• 5:22
  Speaker 3: we see.
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: A problem all right.
• 5:23
  Speaker 3: Now.
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: On Monday, we spoke to the head of the AMA
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: here in the Northern Territory, doctor Robert Parker, who's pretty
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: concerned about the situation in Central Australia and the closure
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: of health clinics. Now. The Health Minister said to us
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: yesterday on the show that there are some closures, but
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: that there is contingency in place should we see further
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: cases in Central Australia. Do you think that there is
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: great enough contingency in place at the moment given what
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: we are seeing in Central Australia.
• 5:51
  Speaker 3: No, and this is something particularly my colleagues Bill Yen
• 5:54
  Speaker 3: and Steve Edgington are really concerned around. We know that
• 5:57
  Speaker 3: the government have known about COVID for nearly two years,
• 5:59
  Speaker 3: and where where is the workforce planning to ensure that
• 6:02
  Speaker 3: this Christmas when we're opening up our remote clinics are
• 6:05
  Speaker 3: properly staff Now, we fully understand that our health professionals
• 6:08
  Speaker 3: have been working around the clock this year and they
• 6:11
  Speaker 3: need a break. We're not trying to say people should
• 6:13
  Speaker 3: not be able to go on leave, but the government
• 6:15
  Speaker 3: needed to have been planning for this moment in time.
• 6:17
  Speaker 3: We now have COVID through Central Australia and the Berkley
• 6:21
  Speaker 3: and then to be closing several health clinics not only
• 6:25
  Speaker 3: means that people won't be able to get healthcare over
• 6:27
  Speaker 3: the Christmas period and will be forced to come into
• 6:29
  Speaker 3: the bigger centers, but also if COVID does break out,
• 6:33
  Speaker 3: where's that frontline on the ground response? You know, it
• 6:36
  Speaker 3: then requires this mobilization of people from Darwin all over
• 6:40
  Speaker 3: the place, which then just has those flow on effects.
• 6:43
  Speaker 3: So we can't understand why at this critical time something
• 6:46
  Speaker 3: like a remote health clinic would be the first thing
• 6:48
  Speaker 3: on the chopping flor well.
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: And the other issue, of course is the situation that
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: we've been speaking about on the show for many months now,
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: and that is the number of nurses that we need
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: to recruit, the number of health staff that need to
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: be recruited. I know that you were yesterday saying that
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: it was unbelievable that the Health Minister finds it too
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: hard to work out how many doctors and nurses are
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: needed to recruit to plug the critical staff shortages across
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: the Northern Territory. Now, you guys, the Opposition obviously raised
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: questions and they were submitted through a formal parliamentary process
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: and quizs the Health Minister on how many doctors and
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: nurse positions are currently vacant at Royal Dalen Hospital, the
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: Palmerston Regional Hospital, the Alice Springs Hospital, Go District Hospital
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: and indeed Tenant and Catherine and how long those positions
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: have been vacant for Now you said in a statement
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: yesterday that the response to the COLP was there to
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: respond to this question is too administratively onerous and would
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: result in undue diversion of resources from service delivery Lea,
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: Why do you think that it's so important that we
• 7:53
  Speaker 1: actually know these numbers. I mean we've already been told
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: by the union that it was up to one hundred
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: need to fill. We certainly know that there are positions
• 8:03
  Speaker 1: that need to be filled, but why do we need
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: to know the exact number.
• 8:06
  Speaker 3: So, just like any business, Katie, if you don't know
• 8:09
  Speaker 3: what the problem is, you can't fix it. Now, we
• 8:11
  Speaker 3: were absolutely gobsmacked yesterday when we got the information back
• 8:16
  Speaker 3: from government saying they didn't know how many nurses and
• 8:18
  Speaker 3: how many doctors we actually need in the territory. I
• 8:21
  Speaker 3: mean for that to be too administratively burdensome. As the
• 8:25
  Speaker 3: Minister put it, is just ridiculous that number should be
• 8:28
  Speaker 3: on the top of her head at all times, and
• 8:30
  Speaker 3: senior people in that department as well should absolutely know
• 8:34
  Speaker 3: how many nurses and doctors we need in our hospitals. Now,
• 8:37
  Speaker 3: if government don't know how many nurses and doctors they
• 8:40
  Speaker 3: need in one of our hospitals, how on earth are
• 8:43
  Speaker 3: they then able to recruit for those positions When you
• 8:46
  Speaker 3: can't feel positions.
• 8:47
  Speaker 2: If you don't know how many positions you need, do
• 8:49
  Speaker 2: you reckon?
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: It's just a situation though, where they do know they
• 8:52
  Speaker 1: know exactly how many they need to recruit, but they
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: don't want to give that information over to the opposition
• 8:57
  Speaker 1: so it can be used against them.
• 8:58
  Speaker 2: Well, I don't know what's worse.
• 9:00
  Speaker 3: I mean, they either don't know, which is appalling, or
• 9:03
  Speaker 3: they're covering their tracks.
• 9:05
  Speaker 2: It's just another cover up from the Gunner government.
• 9:07
  Speaker 3: I mean then that you know, these guys go to
• 9:09
  Speaker 3: great lengths to try and stop us from getting information
• 9:13
  Speaker 3: and hiding from transparency and scrutiny, but ultimately written questions
• 9:17
  Speaker 3: is an official process. They have an obligation to respond
• 9:20
  Speaker 3: truthfully and to say it's administratively Burdenson's absolute garbage.
• 9:25
  Speaker 1: Look, I think it is really important information. I actually
• 9:27
  Speaker 1: think that we do need to know how many doctors
• 9:30
  Speaker 1: and nurses we are short, or certainly nurses within our
• 9:33
  Speaker 1: hospital system. And like I said, it's something we've been
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: talking about extensively on the show over recent months and
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: something that we've had a lot of nurses get in
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: contact with us about. And indeed, graduate nurses weren't actually
• 9:45
  Speaker 1: able to get positions within our hospitals.
• 9:47
  Speaker 3: Yep, that's right, And of course we've had the information
• 9:50
  Speaker 3: coming out from the unions that.
• 9:51
  Speaker 2: We needed about one hundred.
• 9:53
  Speaker 3: I'm not sure if that was just for RDHU, whether
• 9:55
  Speaker 3: that was across the territory. But also that our nurses
• 9:57
  Speaker 3: are regularly working eighteen hour shifts. You know, our health
• 10:00
  Speaker 3: system is at crisis point. We have had four Code
• 10:03
  Speaker 3: yellows this year, which means a Code yellow is a
• 10:05
  Speaker 3: critical bed and staffing shortage. So if we've had four
• 10:09
  Speaker 3: of those and the Gunna governments still don't know how
• 10:13
  Speaker 3: many health professionals we need to stop that crisis. I mean,
• 10:17
  Speaker 3: it's just a damning indictment on the way they're running
• 10:20
  Speaker 3: the show. Katie, and I just cannot believe for the
• 10:23
  Speaker 3: life of me that they don't know how many we need.
• 10:25
  Speaker 3: It means they're not putting any energy or resources into
• 10:28
  Speaker 3: fixing that problem.
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: Now, Leah, before I let you go, we know that
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: today the National Cabinet's due to me should discuss masks
• 10:35
  Speaker 1: in indoor areas, booster shots and indeed our borders. Do
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: you think that we need to start wearing masks in
• 10:42
  Speaker 1: indoor areas again? If this OMRA con variant is spreading
• 10:45
  Speaker 1: in other states.
• 10:46
  Speaker 3: Yeah, well, certainly we're very keen to be led by
• 10:49
  Speaker 3: the Health advice. On that, I think it's really important
• 10:51
  Speaker 3: the National Cabinet are meeting to discuss these things. Said,
• 10:54
  Speaker 3: I had my booster yesterday, Katie, so I'm triple vacks.
• 10:58
  Speaker 2: I guess you're saying there. My arm is a bit
• 11:01
  Speaker 2: sore today, but I'm all good.
• 11:03
  Speaker 3: So yeah, this will be very interesting to see what
• 11:05
  Speaker 3: comes out of National Cabinet. I know the Chief Minister
• 11:08
  Speaker 3: is attending National Cabinet despite not being back on the scene,
• 11:12
  Speaker 3: so we'll see how that goes. But yeah, well, I
• 11:15
  Speaker 3: guess time will tell what the new rules will be,
• 11:17
  Speaker 3: and we.
• 11:17
  Speaker 1: Will keep our listeners up to date with any of
• 11:19
  Speaker 1: that information that does come out of the National Cabinet.
• 11:21
  Speaker 1: But on that, we know the Chief Minister was due
• 11:24
  Speaker 1: to come back from leave this week, but extended that
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: leave for another week. Reportedly he's still going to take
• 11:30
  Speaker 1: part obviously in National Cabinet. Do you think that he
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: should be on leave at this point or do you
• 11:35
  Speaker 1: think that he should be at work at what some
• 11:38
  Speaker 1: see as being a very critical time.
• 11:40
  Speaker 3: Well, it is a critical time and it's interesting timing.
• 11:43
  Speaker 3: Given he is the Chief Minister. He got to decide.
• 11:46
  Speaker 3: Twenty December was the day that we were opening up,
• 11:49
  Speaker 3: so you would have thought that there would be.
• 11:51
  Speaker 2: Some management of leave around that.
• 11:53
  Speaker 3: But you know, everyone has personal circumstances, I suppose, and
• 11:56
  Speaker 3: everyone's entitled to go and leave, so I don't know
• 11:58
  Speaker 3: what they are.
• 11:59
  Speaker 2: I guess you can give him the benefit of the doubt.
• 12:01
  Speaker 3: But ultimately, and you know, Nattash and Files and Nicole
• 12:04
  Speaker 3: Madison have had to clean up the mess he left
• 12:07
  Speaker 3: before he went on leave.
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: Are you going on Christmas Christmas break?
• 12:10
  Speaker 3: I know it will be here for Christmas. We absolutely
• 12:13
  Speaker 3: love a top end Christmas and we'll see what happens
• 12:15
  Speaker 3: in January. But I'm just really hoping it will rain
• 12:18
  Speaker 3: on Christmas Day.
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: But planning on taking a bit of time off.
• 12:21
  Speaker 2: Yeah, in January hopefully.
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: Well, Lea Finocchio, it has been a busy year, there
• 12:26
  Speaker 1: is no doubt about that. We always appreciate the time
• 12:29
  Speaker 1: that you give us each and every week. Come and
• 12:32
  Speaker 1: we you know, I know that a lot of our
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: listeners really like hearing from you, so we appreciate you
• 12:37
  Speaker 1: turning up every week and being part of the show. Well.
• 12:40
  Speaker 2: I love being in here, Katie.
• 12:41
  Speaker 3: It's always great to chat to you, and particularly you
• 12:43
  Speaker 3: know your listeners. You guys, you work very very hard,
• 12:46
  Speaker 3: you and the team to make sure that all the
• 12:47
  Speaker 3: current issues are covered. And as an opposition, we certainly
• 12:50
  Speaker 3: want people hearing our point of view and this gives
• 12:53
  Speaker 3: us an opportunity to reach out to people right across
• 12:55
  Speaker 3: the territory. So thank you and Merry Christmas you too.
• 12:57
  Speaker 3: I hope you have a lovely Christmas.
• 12:58
  Speaker 1: Ant. We always say in here, you know whether people
• 13:00
  Speaker 1: agree with you or disagree with you. I think it's
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: incredibly important that we hear from both sides of the
• 13:05
  Speaker 1: Parliament and indeed the independence as well. So Leah, thanks
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: so much for all your time throughout the year and
• 13:10
  Speaker 1: we'll catch up with you again early next year.
• 13:12
  Speaker 2: Sounds great.
• 13:13
  Speaker 1: Thank you,