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Katie Woolf spoke with Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: Mix one O four point nine dot com for all
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  Speaker 1: the latest news and information. Now three sixty with Katie Wolf.
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  Speaker 1: Everyone is listening Mix one oh four point nine one hundred.
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  Speaker 2: Percent n Joining me live in the studio is the
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  Speaker 2: opposition leader, Leofanoki Airo. Good morning, Good morning Katie and
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  Speaker 2: your listeners. Now, Leah, let's talk firstly about these hotspots.
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  Speaker 2: We know that the City of Brisbane, Morton Bay Region,
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  Speaker 2: City of Ipswich, Logan City, Redland City, to Woomba Region
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  Speaker 2: and now the Byronshire Local Government Area in New South
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  Speaker 2: Wales are all declared hotspots. In addition, we've got a
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  Speaker 2: watch and wait which has been issued.
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  Speaker 3: For the Gold Coast.
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  Speaker 2: Leah, I think we all agree we need to be
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  Speaker 2: vigilant and adhere to the health advice when it comes
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  Speaker 2: to these hot spots. But there are concerns from businesses.
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  Speaker 2: Do you think that the way in which we're managing
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  Speaker 2: these borders at the moment is the best way of
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  Speaker 2: doing things.
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  Speaker 4: Look, I think hotsplit management has been incredibly effective and
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  Speaker 4: we've led by example.
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  Speaker 2: It is.
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  Speaker 4: It is a terrible thing though, I mean, into one
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  Speaker 4: day everything's okay, to the next day all of a
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  Speaker 4: sudden hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people are
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  Speaker 4: cut off from their plans to travel within our country.
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  Speaker 4: That obviously has a huge impact on local businesses, whether
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  Speaker 4: it's the flight industry, the hotel industry, you know, restaurants
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  Speaker 4: and other tool providers. So it's hugely disruptive, there's no
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  Speaker 4: question about that. But I think, you know, it just
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  Speaker 4: reinforces for me that we can't get this vaccine roll
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  Speaker 4: out out quick enough. You know, we really have to
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  Speaker 4: just smash that out and get people vaccinated.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, there has been questions raised nationally today as to
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  Speaker 2: whether that vaccine rollout is sort of happening as quickly as.
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  Speaker 3: It should be.
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  Speaker 2: I haven't got the most up to date numbers for
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  Speaker 2: the territory, but I can only assume that we are
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  Speaker 2: keeping up with things in the way in which we
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  Speaker 2: should be.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, I don't have the latest figures for the territory either, Kadi,
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  Speaker 4: And I'm sure if we had the government on, they'd
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  Speaker 4: say everything was fantastic, and look, maybe it is.
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  Speaker 5: We'll never know because they'd never tell us the truth.
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  Speaker 4: But you know, if there is any way to fast
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  Speaker 4: track some of that stuff, all the better, because you know,
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  Speaker 4: we really need to ensure that we've got that level
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  Speaker 4: of immunity in our community, and that in turn, I
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  Speaker 4: suppose we'll ease off this pressure of having to react
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  Speaker 4: as dramatically to hot spots and hopefully level everything out
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  Speaker 4: across the nation.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, really, though, even as that vaccine rolls out,
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  Speaker 2: is it going to give us a certainty that we want?
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  Speaker 2: I mean, earlier this week the Chief Minister still went
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  Speaker 2: into isolation and he had the vaccine last week. I
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  Speaker 2: did ask the Health Minister about that yesterday and she
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  Speaker 2: said that, look, you know, obviously it's got to have
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  Speaker 2: the second phase of that vaccine and you've got to
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  Speaker 2: make sure that you're doing everything appropriately. But it does
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  Speaker 2: sort of beg the question as to whether we are
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  Speaker 2: going to see that certainty that we're all hoping for
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  Speaker 2: once the population's vaccinated.
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  Speaker 4: Well, that's certainly the message we've been sold, and I
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  Speaker 4: would like to think that that is true. I mean,
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  Speaker 4: if we have whatever the critical mass of Australians is
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  Speaker 4: that we need, and those people are are vaccinated, then
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  Speaker 4: I thought the whole idea was then that we can
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  Speaker 4: start getting back to a bit more normal and the
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  Speaker 4: risks obviously present at a much much lower rate. You know,
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  Speaker 4: I'm certainly very supportive of the vaccine. I would encourage
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  Speaker 4: everyone that second category of Territorians is now open. I
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  Speaker 4: think if you are over seventy and a bunch of
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  Speaker 4: other factors, but please get in touch with your GP
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  Speaker 4: and get vaccinated as soon as you can so we
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  Speaker 4: can progress towards this more normalized future.
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  Speaker 2: Now, Leah, as these you know, as we have these
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  Speaker 2: situations and these hotspots have declared as we've touched on,
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  Speaker 2: you know, it's obviously a health issue, but it's also
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  Speaker 2: an issue for the economy, and it's also very much
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  Speaker 2: a business issue. We caught up with Alex Bruce from
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  Speaker 2: Hospitality into yesterday.
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  Speaker 3: Take a listen to what he had to say.
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  Speaker 6: It's not an either all. I feel like we've said
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  Speaker 6: this before, but it's health and the economy together jointly.
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  Speaker 6: And we do believe now that the MTG, the government
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  Speaker 6: should be looking at at least if they're going to
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  Speaker 6: keep making these decisions for the benefit of the health
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  Speaker 6: of all Territorians, then now that job keepers ended, they
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  Speaker 6: should come into the space as a bit of an
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  Speaker 6: insurer's last resort, you know, how we meant to continue
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  Speaker 6: to run these large accommodation houses and some of those
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  Speaker 6: tour operators out there with bookings that can just evaporate
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  Speaker 6: overnight without some level of government support a commensurate to
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  Speaker 6: those decisions that the territory government, not the Commonwealth government
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  Speaker 6: are making.
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  Speaker 3: I mean, lea, is something like this even viable.
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  Speaker 4: Well, look not when you have an eight point four
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  Speaker 4: billion dollar debt. And that's a really important part of
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  Speaker 4: managing the books. You know, when you are a government,
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  Speaker 4: you have to manage things responsibly because you.
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  Speaker 5: Don't know what rainy day money you're going to need.
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  Speaker 4: And perhaps if our books were in a healthier position,
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  Speaker 4: we would have that opportunity to back in and support
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  Speaker 4: businesses even more than you know, the federal government already has.
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  Speaker 4: But I think that's you know, I think it's a
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  Speaker 4: valid point that Alex makes. And obviously the industry is,
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  Speaker 4: you know, really at crisis point when these things happen
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  Speaker 4: in our tourism industry, you know, are struggling immensely with
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  Speaker 4: you know, you add crime then on top of that
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  Speaker 4: and it's a perfect storm. But you know, it really
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  Speaker 4: comes back to this is why you have to manage
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  Speaker 4: your books. Really, we because you never know when you
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  Speaker 4: need that money in your back pocket to come in
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  Speaker 4: and support different initiatives.
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  Speaker 2: Speaking about business and some of those tourism operators that
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  Speaker 2: are finding it quite tough at the moment, the situation
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  Speaker 2: with the expedition cruise ships is another one which is
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  Speaker 2: creating concerns for the tourism sector. Perciently, the Minister all
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  Speaker 2: but ruled out allowing these smaller ships to the top end.
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  Speaker 3: Is this the right decision?
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  Speaker 2: I mean we're talking here about juggling health and obviously
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  Speaker 2: juggling the needs of our different sectors who require support.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, I really don't understand this one. And again, you
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  Speaker 4: know we've seen really inconsistent rollout of the rules around COVID.
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  Speaker 4: So right now, you know, a whole planeload, what's three
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  Speaker 4: hundred people can fly in from Adelaide land and walk
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  Speaker 4: around the northern territory. But one hundred and five people
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  Speaker 4: from Adelaide on a boat can't, you know? And that's
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  Speaker 4: I think that's the contrast. And people can understand that
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  Speaker 4: perhaps being on a boat is a slightly higher risk
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  Speaker 4: profile because if someone does have it, it could be transmitted faster. Equally,
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  Speaker 4: we know that that industry is put in place such
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  Speaker 4: rigorous measures. So we're talking about Australians on Australian vessels
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  Speaker 4: in Australian waters. We're not talking about Australians popping overseas
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  Speaker 4: and coming back, you know. And I just think there's
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  Speaker 4: a great inconsistency there, and it's just I feel like
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  Speaker 4: people don't really quite understand what government's position on that is.
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  Speaker 4: It doesn't really make sense.
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  Speaker 2: Do you think that this is one of those decisions
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  Speaker 2: it maybe needs to be reviewed?
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  Speaker 3: Oh?
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  Speaker 5: Absolutely absolutely.
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  Speaker 4: If there are one hundred and five people on an boat,
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  Speaker 4: Australian people on a boat coming to Darwin using that
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  Speaker 4: Adelaide example, and yet the same day there's a flight
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  Speaker 4: coming in, I mean it just I don't understand why
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  Speaker 4: we're treating them so differently. And at the same time,
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  Speaker 4: we can have international vessels arriving at Culum Bay to
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  Speaker 4: go through a quarantine process and actually leave that vessel
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  Speaker 4: and walk into public space. So you know, again I
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  Speaker 4: understand this is a very complex and difficult thing to manage,
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  Speaker 4: and we've done an excellent job and keeping territory and
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  Speaker 4: safe as our absolute priority. But we're talking about Australians
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  Speaker 4: in Australian waters on Australian vessel, you know, and yet
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  Speaker 4: planes are flying in So what's the difference.
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  Speaker 2: Well, I know that it is one of those ones
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  Speaker 2: that a lot of people have got questions about, particularly
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  Speaker 2: in the tourism sector. We did put it to the
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  Speaker 2: Minister yesterday for Health and she did say that it
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  Speaker 2: also comes down to resourcing. If there was a breakout
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  Speaker 2: on one of those on one of those ships, that
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  Speaker 2: it would be quite a difficult thing to be able
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  Speaker 2: to manage. But I mean, at the end of the day,
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  Speaker 2: if we're expanding the Howard Springs quarantine facility and requiring
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  Speaker 2: extra staff out there, I guess that argument of you know, well,
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  Speaker 2: why can't we allow a smaller vessel into the territory
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  Speaker 2: is one which I know the sector is going to be.
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  Speaker 4: Asking and it's it's concerning as well. I mean, what
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  Speaker 4: is our outbreak capacity? Then? You know, if one hundred
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  Speaker 4: and five people in a boat is going to create
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  Speaker 4: critical catastrophic issues for our health services, then I think
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  Speaker 4: territories need to better understand that because you know, Heaven forbid,
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  Speaker 4: but if something does happen, you know, we need to
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  Speaker 4: know that our We've had when We've had a year
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  Speaker 4: now to build up our capacity to get the ventilators,
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  Speaker 4: to understand the pandemic and the pathology around it and all.
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  Speaker 5: Of those things.
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  Speaker 4: So yeah, it just seems quite inconsistent and a missed opportunity.
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  Speaker 4: And people are very respectful and understanding of the processes,
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  Speaker 4: but it just seems very inconsistent when you've got flights
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  Speaker 4: pouring in but perhaps not pouring in, but you know,
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  Speaker 4: coming in, and then you know ship's being turned away.
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  Speaker 2: Lea, I do want to ask you, I mean you
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  Speaker 2: and I have spoken a lot about crime and the
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  Speaker 2: issues with youth recidivism. Earlier in the week I spoke
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  Speaker 2: to the Police Association who've again called for a timeline
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  Speaker 2: for youth legislation. You know how it's going to exactly
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  Speaker 2: come into play now. On Monday, the Chief Minister, Michael
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  Speaker 2: Gunner said that he hoped that May would be when
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  Speaker 2: that legislation would pass.
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  Speaker 3: Do you think that's possible?
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  Speaker 4: Look, you know, anything's possible. But it just again reinforces
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  Speaker 4: that this government hasn't actually prepared anything. I mean, Monday
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  Speaker 4: last week they came out with their press conference, you know,
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  Speaker 4: the week before the Chief Minister alluded to in something
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  Speaker 4: similar to ours, our legislation, which obviously was very specifically
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  Speaker 4: targeted at the repeat offenders and the revolving door of bail.
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  Speaker 4: They on Monday announced this suite of hodgepodge things that
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  Speaker 4: you know, they matched a heap of strong words together
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  Speaker 4: to make it sound good, But the devil's really going
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  Speaker 4: to be in the detail, and the reality is nothing
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  Speaker 4: is drafted. So yes, they could possibly have some laws
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  Speaker 4: drafted by May. We know not all of them will
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  Speaker 4: be ready, and they could move that on urgency. But
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  Speaker 4: again it just takes me back to the fact that
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  Speaker 4: our legislation was ready to go. We spent months drafting
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  Speaker 4: it with Parliamentary Council. We brought it to the Parliament
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  Speaker 4: on Wednesday last week. The Government could have used its
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  Speaker 4: numbers to support that passing on urgency and today we
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  Speaker 4: could see a completely different approach to that revolving door
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  Speaker 4: of bail. But instead, for political reasons, the government kicked
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  Speaker 4: the can down the road and now we won't be
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  Speaker 4: debating either legislation until May.
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  Speaker 3: I mean, we have.
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  Speaker 2: Still got the likes of Naja nt course and others
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  Speaker 2: coming out and saying, you know that that therapeutic programs
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  Speaker 2: and things like that are a much better approach. That's
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  Speaker 2: obviously the recommendations of the Royal Commission as well. I mean,
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  Speaker 2: how are we going to get this right? How is
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  Speaker 2: this legislation actually going to pass through? When on one side,
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  Speaker 2: obviously you've got the Association, the Police Association saying look,
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  Speaker 2: we really need a clear timeline here so that police
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  Speaker 2: know what they can and can't or how they can
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  Speaker 2: and can't deal with some of these issues. But then
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  Speaker 2: on the other side, you've obviously got the likes of
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  Speaker 2: nahja're an nt cost saying hang on a second, we're
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  Speaker 2: taking a step backwards.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah.
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  Speaker 4: Look, and they'll always be that, you know, the furs
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  Speaker 4: and against. But the reality is this. We know that
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  Speaker 4: seventy percent of all people arrested by Strikeforce VIPER were
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  Speaker 4: repeat offenders. We know that fifty percent of all youth
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  Speaker 4: arrested across the territory last year were on bail at
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  Speaker 4: the time of their arrest.
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  Speaker 5: Something needs to be done.
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  Speaker 4: People are being victimized at alarming rates. This government has
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  Speaker 4: taken only a therapeutic approach and that has driven up crime.
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  Speaker 4: So yes, we need a therapeutic approach. We need to
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  Speaker 4: be doing that generation or change. We need all that
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  Speaker 4: work in the background, but it can't be done to
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  Speaker 4: the exclusion of dealing with people who are repeat offenders,
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  Speaker 4: have absolutely no regard for the law and are happy
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  Speaker 4: to go along every night, be arrested, be bawd, and
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  Speaker 4: go and commit further crimes. And that's they're the people
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  Speaker 4: our laws were targeting, those people who have constant disregard
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  Speaker 4: for the law and for other people's right to live
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  Speaker 4: a safe and quiet, peaceful life where they just go
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  Speaker 4: about their business.
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  Speaker 5: So the gun and government.
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  Speaker 4: Their laws do not go as far as ours. And
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  Speaker 4: of course the devil will be in the detail. They're
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  Speaker 4: going to spend the next two months trying to make
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  Speaker 4: it sound super tough. I think what will happen is
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  Speaker 4: they will cave under the pressure from the organizations who
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  Speaker 4: are saying, no, we're moving too far away from the
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  Speaker 4: Royal Commission. And I think what we can expect to
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  Speaker 4: see and may will be pretty pathetic.
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  Speaker 2: So you reckon, they're not actually going to do what
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  Speaker 2: they've said they're going to do. You reckon, They're going
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  Speaker 2: to take a step back.
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  Speaker 4: I think they'll take a step back. I'm going to
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  Speaker 4: be comparing what they've said and what they actually do,
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  Speaker 4: very very closely, Katie, and I will certainly let you
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  Speaker 4: and your listeners know what I uncover.
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  Speaker 5: But there's a lot of water to go under this bridge.
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  Speaker 4: May is a long time away for the Gun government
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  Speaker 4: to get shaky at the knees with what it already
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  Speaker 4: is pretty weak reform, So I'm not holding my breath,
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  Speaker 4: that's for sure.
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  Speaker 2: Time will tell. Leah Finocchiaro, always good to catch up
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  Speaker 2: with you. Always appreciate your time on a Wednesday.
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  Speaker 5: Thank you, Thanks Katie. Take care everyone,