Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Matt Hepworth spoke with CLP's Member for Daly Ian Sloan

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Matt Hepworth spoke with CLP's Member for Daly Ian Sloan · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Well, a new cohort of MLAs make their debut in
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  Speaker 1: the Northern Territory Parliament next week following the August twenty
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  Speaker 1: two election. One of those people is the COLPS member
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  Speaker 1: for Daily Ian Sloane, and he joins me in the
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  Speaker 1: studio now slowly, good.
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  Speaker 2: Morning morning, Mattie. How are you today? Well?
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  Speaker 1: Thanks mate. You are probably one of the most well
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  Speaker 1: known and loved people in Berry Springs. That's very nice
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  Speaker 1: of you to say that. I mean, that's just my
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  Speaker 1: personal life. Okay, I'm sure there are other people who
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  Speaker 1: said that should we go on a date? Well, one
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  Speaker 1: place we could go is the Berry Springs Tavern here,
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  Speaker 1: of course, the publican of the Berry Springs Tavern. What
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  Speaker 1: on earth made you decide to go from being one
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  Speaker 1: of the most loved people as a publican to what
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  Speaker 1: some would argue is one of the most disliked people
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  Speaker 1: as a politician.
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  Speaker 2: It's an interesting journey, isn't Maddie started off as a
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  Speaker 2: backpacker here twenty five years ago, to become a publican,
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  Speaker 2: to become a politician, there's a lot of similarity, to
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  Speaker 2: be honest, Mattie. You know, as a publican you spend
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  Speaker 2: a lot of time standing around talking to people and
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  Speaker 2: listening to their problems. As a politician, you know, we
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  Speaker 2: have the same thing. A lot of people pop in
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  Speaker 2: the office and have have a chat and we listen.
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  Speaker 2: I guess the difference isn't when you're doing in a
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  Speaker 2: pub you get a few schooners onder your belt. At
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  Speaker 2: the offices over a couple of coffees. So being a
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  Speaker 2: politician is probably gonna be better for my kidney's going forward.
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  Speaker 2: But look, it's a great challenge and one I'm really
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  Speaker 2: looking forward to over the next the next four years.
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  Speaker 1: They always say all the world's problems can be solved
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  Speaker 1: over a couple of schooners at the bar.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, well, you know, we might have to look at
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  Speaker 2: that as a possible legislation going forward.
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  Speaker 1: I look at this. You're coming in with ideas already,
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  Speaker 1: ideas man, Maddie. I mean it was it was a
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  Speaker 1: tight race in Daily after polling down. I don't think
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  Speaker 1: results came out for about a week or so in
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  Speaker 1: Daily afterwards. Was there a time where you didn't think
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  Speaker 1: you'd get across the line?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah? One d p Maddie. The first night you know
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  Speaker 2: we had the you know, the party at the pub
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  Speaker 2: and I did go to bed that night thinking, yeah,
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  Speaker 2: we haven't got this. You know, we've we've put in
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  Speaker 2: all this work and it hasn't happened. And unfortunately for
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  Speaker 2: us over the over the coming I think it was
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  Speaker 2: nearly two weeks. Yeah, not a result did turn around
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  Speaker 2: our way, and it was narrow, but you know, that's
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  Speaker 2: given me an incentive over the next four years to
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  Speaker 2: work hard and make sure I can build on that
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  Speaker 2: next time around.
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  Speaker 1: What was that two weeks like in waiting?
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  Speaker 2: Probably worse for my wife and people like my campaign manager,
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  Speaker 2: you know, they were probably more nervous than me. For me,
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  Speaker 2: I took it as an opportunity to sort of take
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  Speaker 2: a sit down and catch my breath. Really, that's I
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  Speaker 2: don't think I really realized how much work was involved
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  Speaker 2: and running for this campaign. It actually takes a lot
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  Speaker 2: out of you. So to have that sort of two
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  Speaker 2: weeks in between, it was actually quite nice to sort
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  Speaker 2: of take a step back and ponder what the journey
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  Speaker 2: we've been through.
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  Speaker 1: You've got some big shoes to feel in. Gary Higgins,
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  Speaker 1: the former member for Daily, has he given you any
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  Speaker 1: advice on being a local member and being a politician?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, Look, I'm very fortunate. I do have the advantage
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  Speaker 2: of having Gary on my side, which a lot of
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  Speaker 2: the new MLAs don't have that luxury. And he has
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  Speaker 2: been fantastic the whole way through. He's the person who
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  Speaker 2: tooked me into it. So thanks for that, Gary, like
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  Speaker 2: all you want. But we catch up regularly. We try
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  Speaker 2: and catch up at least once a week, which is
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  Speaker 2: really good because you know, he was that member for
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  Speaker 2: the member for daily for eight years. A lot of experience,
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  Speaker 2: a lot of knowledge, and it's really good to spend
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  Speaker 2: a couple of hours with him once a week and
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  Speaker 2: I can go through the issues that have come across
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  Speaker 2: my desk over the week and listen to his advice.
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  Speaker 2: So it's been really good. And Rondo as well. I
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  Speaker 2: can't forget about Ronda. She's a lovely lady and she's
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  Speaker 2: she's been there, very supportive to myself and my family.
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  Speaker 2: And Gary, as you say, very very big shoes to fill,
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  Speaker 2: but looking forward the opportunity to fill those shoes.
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  Speaker 1: Definitely. What have you been doing since you were vited in?
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  Speaker 2: Nothing?
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  Speaker 1: Mate?
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  Speaker 2: Feed up on the desk.
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  Speaker 1: I'd love to believe you, but I don't for a second.
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  Speaker 2: No, very busy trying to get around the electorate as
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  Speaker 2: much as possible, meet as many people as possible, trying
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  Speaker 2: to straight away. There's a lot of issues across Daily Daily.
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  Speaker 2: It's a massive electorate. When I talk to my friends
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  Speaker 2: back in Ireland, I say, the electorate of Daily is
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  Speaker 2: actually the same size as Ireland of Ireland. So it's
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  Speaker 2: a huge area. And you know compass areas like Berry
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  Speaker 2: Springs down river down to Dundee Pine Creek all the
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  Speaker 2: way out to Timber Creek and what I so, a
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  Speaker 2: lot of issues and really so many such a diverse
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  Speaker 2: community that the bush areas versus a rural area. So
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  Speaker 2: you know when we go to the bush areas like
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  Speaker 2: Port Kates, you know there's big issues with the roads
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  Speaker 2: for example that I don't know if you've been to
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  Speaker 2: Port Kates, Maddie, but the road out there is it's
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  Speaker 2: just no more than a dirt track once you get
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  Speaker 2: past the Daihi River turn off. So really keen to
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  Speaker 2: get my teeth into that. I know there's been a
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  Speaker 2: commitment from the federal government to seal that road, and
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  Speaker 2: I'll be doing everything over the next four years to
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  Speaker 2: make sure that works continued. But then we go out
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  Speaker 2: to you know, the rural areas. There's big issues there
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  Speaker 2: with water, with telem communications or lack oven places, and
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  Speaker 2: then there's specific problems for Pacific area. So you know,
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  Speaker 2: Dundee desperate need of a health clinic. You know, since
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  Speaker 2: that road was sealed, the number of people visiting Dandee
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  Speaker 2: every weekend is only is growing and will continue to grow.
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  Speaker 2: And there's no health facilities. So if you're out there,
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  Speaker 2: Maddie on the weekend and you you know, fall off
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  Speaker 2: your quarterback when you're drunk, you know you're going to
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  Speaker 2: take an hour, your best bet is to get in
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  Speaker 2: the car and drive yourself back to Darwin Rock. So
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  Speaker 2: you know, that's something I'm really passionate about. But every
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  Speaker 2: area has its own issues and I'm really looking forward
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  Speaker 2: to getting out there talking to as many people as possible.
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  Speaker 2: We've been down to Dundee already. We've got the petition
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  Speaker 2: at Dundee for the health clinic. We'll be talking to
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  Speaker 2: people of Mandora about the jetty. People at south Ward
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  Speaker 2: have got issues of water. So yeah, lots of issues.
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  Speaker 2: We have been busy, continue to be busy, and you know,
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  Speaker 2: it's a full time job and.
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  Speaker 1: It's the first sittings of the new Parliament. They kick
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  Speaker 1: off next week. How are you feeling about that?
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  Speaker 2: As I said to your fair mate, I am crapping myself.
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  Speaker 1: So it's a different word.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm really really, really really excited, but really really nervous.
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  Speaker 2: We had induction on Tuesday and it's the first time
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  Speaker 2: and it's often Gary said to me, he said, you'll
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  Speaker 2: never understand the position until you're sitting there in that
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  Speaker 2: room with those twenty five people. And when we sat
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  Speaker 2: down on Tuesday and we could see everyone in the
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  Speaker 2: chamber the first time, it really hit home the enormity
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  Speaker 2: of what I've did, the journey, you know, where the
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  Speaker 2: journey's taken me. So very very nervous about Tuesday, but
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  Speaker 2: at the same time just want to get over and
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  Speaker 2: done with and get on with business. I'm really excited
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  Speaker 2: to be glad to have my family there with me
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  Speaker 2: on the day. It's actually my son's fifteen th firfty
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  Speaker 2: on the day. Yeah, well, he's not excited at all.
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  Speaker 2: He's a dad. I'd rather stay at school and do
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  Speaker 2: my mast has to go to Parliament House, but he's
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  Speaker 2: going to be there and my mum and dad and
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  Speaker 2: my wife Lea will be there, so yeah, really excited mate.
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  Speaker 1: As you mentioned, it really is a whole new world
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  Speaker 1: in there, and it comes with a whole new set
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  Speaker 1: of rules. How are you feeling about those? It's a
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  Speaker 1: big rule book. If you had a chance to study
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  Speaker 1: it and go through some of the parliamentary processes.
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  Speaker 2: I have studied at matt quite a bit of depth.
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  Speaker 2: I'm not real good with rules, so it's going to
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  Speaker 2: be a tricky one for you. And asked my wife
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  Speaker 2: that question. I'm not very good with proceduring.
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  Speaker 1: It wouldn't be the first rebel MLA in there.
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  Speaker 2: I had no intention of being the revel MLA. But yeah,
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  Speaker 2: it is a big There's lots of sessional orders and
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  Speaker 2: standing orders and it's a lot to get your head
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  Speaker 2: around it. And the good thing about it going into
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  Speaker 2: it is that we're very much in the same boat,
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  Speaker 2: or a lot of us in the same boat. You know,
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  Speaker 2: We've Lee has come from a party of two to
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  Speaker 2: a party of eight, so it's great that you know
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  Speaker 2: all the rest of the team. We're all in the
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  Speaker 2: same boat. We're all on a very very steep learning curve.
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  Speaker 2: We're all very enthusiastic, all very keen to get into it,
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  Speaker 2: and I think we'll all be glad when we get
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  Speaker 2: choosed over and done with them. We can actually get
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  Speaker 2: into the nuts and bolts of you know, Parliament and
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  Speaker 2: that entails.
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  Speaker 1: And I guess on top of that, and I know
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  Speaker 1: you haven't had a chance to look at it too much,
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  Speaker 1: but you've also picked up some shadow portfolios as well.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, So I really excited about the portfolio as
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  Speaker 2: have picked up MAPPY especially a lot of them are
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  Speaker 2: very relevant to the daily Electric So yeah, I picked
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  Speaker 2: up agri business and aquaculture, Veteran Affairs, Arts and Cultures,
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  Speaker 2: local government and Indigenous essential Services. So a real range
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  Speaker 2: of projects out there and got a list as as
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  Speaker 2: long as your arm of people I've got to sort
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  Speaker 2: of get in front of over the next couple of
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  Speaker 2: months and I really get a handle across all those
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  Speaker 2: portfolios and and I'm not just the peag bodies, but
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  Speaker 2: actually getting on the ground and talking to people about
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  Speaker 2: those portfolio. But again, it's something I'm really excited about
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  Speaker 2: getting my teeth into over the next four years.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah. I know, when I've spoken to Lea about this
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  Speaker 1: previously and she's been really happy that she does have
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  Speaker 1: a team to share that workload with now, and it
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  Speaker 1: sounds like you're you're really lucky as well, I guess
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  Speaker 1: walking into a team of eight as opposed to you know,
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  Speaker 1: twenty sixteen when there was just that team of two.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's funny you said that. We were in the
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  Speaker 2: lobby room. I think that's what it's called, next to
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  Speaker 2: the chamber yesterday Tuesday. Yeah, and Leah walked out. We
• 8:26
  Speaker 2: were all there already and she walked in, and the
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  Speaker 2: look in her face, Yeah, I'm not talking out to school,
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  Speaker 2: I hope, but the look in her face is like, oh, look,
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  Speaker 2: it's like, oh, I forgot I had so many people
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  Speaker 2: on the team. So yeah, it must be a great
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  Speaker 2: She's done a great job over the last four years
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  Speaker 2: and just done all by herself. And I think that
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  Speaker 2: just skills to show with the caliber of the lady.
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  Speaker 2: And you know, the team's all excited to get behind
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  Speaker 2: her and give her all the support we can over
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  Speaker 2: the next four years and hopefully in four years time
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  Speaker 2: have a different result.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah. One thing I've been curious to know is how
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  Speaker 1: will it work for you and the Berry Springs to
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  Speaker 1: have them going forward? Is that something that you've you've
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  Speaker 1: handbled onto the wife or.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely, yeah, yeah, yeah, she's wrapped now. We're very fortunate.
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  Speaker 2: We've got a very good team down there. We've got
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  Speaker 2: a good manager and a really good team of duty
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  Speaker 2: managers and Leah. Obviously they're at the helm. But I'll
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  Speaker 2: still be popping in, you know, and it's it's my
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  Speaker 2: family business. I'll be popping in from time to time,
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  Speaker 2: pouring a few beers. I'll be walking around talking rubbish
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  Speaker 2: as usual. I'm very proud of that business. It's a
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  Speaker 2: great business. It supports a lot of a lot of locals,
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  Speaker 2: and I will be I'll definitely be around. But Lea's
• 9:28
  Speaker 2: in there and she's a she's she's enjoying it. It's
• 9:32
  Speaker 2: a big she's a smart lady. You know, she's the
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  Speaker 2: brains and the looks of the outfit. I don't know
• 9:37
  Speaker 2: what I bring to the party, but she'll do a
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  Speaker 2: fantastic job.
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  Speaker 1: Well, they say behind every great man is a great woman.
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  Speaker 2: That's what they say, one hundred percent through behind every man.
• 9:46
  Speaker 2: I wouldn't say great man, but behind every man.
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  Speaker 1: Crazy right behind every man is a yes, a great woman.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, so she's she's doing a great job. Down there.
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  Speaker 2: She's getting ready for Melbourne Cuper and I think you
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  Speaker 2: guys are coming down for the crocodile races, so.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, she's a very iconic part of Melbourne Cup here
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  Speaker 1: in the territory.
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  Speaker 2: Well, I think it's the premier event in Melbourne Cup
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  Speaker 2: Day now, it's it's bigger than the horses.
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  Speaker 1: Well yeah, and I think I reckon there'll be more
• 10:07
  Speaker 1: people at the Berry Springs Tavern than there will be
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: down at Flemington.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's going to be it's going to be a
• 10:12
  Speaker 2: different race this year. So yeah, quick plug there, but
• 10:14
  Speaker 2: get yourself down to Berry Springs Tavern on Melbourne Cup Day.
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: That's all right, you just you change your hats over.
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: It's fine.
• 10:19
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's part of political broadcast on behalf of the slowmin.
• 10:22
  Speaker 1: There you go exactly different hats Ian. Thank you so
• 10:25
  Speaker 1: much for coming in this morning. It's been wonderful to
• 10:26
  Speaker 1: meet you, aren't you. And I know that Kadie and
• 10:29
  Speaker 1: the team talk you know, very highly of you here
• 10:31
  Speaker 1: and yeah, looking forward to seeing you in Parliament over
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  Speaker 1: the next four years.
• 10:34
  Speaker 2: Thanks many, thanks for your time.
• 10:35
  Speaker 1: That's the colp's member for Danilely. Ian Sloan