Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Health Minister Natasha Fyles addresses the fact members of the ALP also have concerns about the alcohol in dry communities legislation change

Transcript

Health Minister Natasha Fyles addresses the fact members of the ALP also have concerns about the alcohol in dry communities legislation change · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: Now, yesterday we learned that the national carrier Quantus is
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: going to close one of its two dar to London
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  Speaker 1: services and return it to Perth three weeks earlier than
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  Speaker 1: originally scheduled. So it is like QF nine and ten
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  Speaker 1: now going to depart from Perth instead of Darwin on
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  Speaker 1: May twenty three. They were previously scheduled to return to
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  Speaker 1: Perth from June nineteen. Joining me on the line to
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  Speaker 1: tell us a little bit more is the Minister for
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  Speaker 1: Tourism and also Health, Natasha Files.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning to.
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  Speaker 3: You, Good morning, good morning listening.
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  Speaker 2: Now, Minister, have we been used by Quantas?
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  Speaker 3: I think that we grab an opportunity and we are
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  Speaker 3: certainly at the forefront of Corners's mind in terms of
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  Speaker 3: being a destination but also a transit hub you know
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  Speaker 3: into Asia and as we've seen across inter Europe now,
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  Speaker 3: so you know this is making the most of an opportunity.
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  Speaker 3: But I think that you have seen the E one
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  Speaker 3: ninety base announced here and that provides a lot of
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  Speaker 3: opportunities for us. So we're committed to working with quantas
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  Speaker 3: Darwin International Airport to ensure that we can progress what
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  Speaker 3: has been an opportunity through COVID into something into the future.
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  Speaker 2: Minister.
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  Speaker 1: We're just having a bit of an issue with your
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  Speaker 1: phone line there. It sounds like like something is covering
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  Speaker 1: you up. I don't know exactly what the go is,
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  Speaker 1: but hopefully we're able to get it sorted. But once
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  Speaker 1: again I believe we are joined on the line by
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  Speaker 1: the Health Minister.
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  Speaker 2: Let's a bit better this time. Good morning, minister.
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  Speaker 4: We're not having good use of technology lately.
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  Speaker 1: Will be sorry about all right, we can hear you
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  Speaker 1: now now, Minister. I obviously we've just discussed this situation
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  Speaker 1: with quantas you know, winding back that London to Darwin
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  Speaker 1: or Darwin to London service. Are we still going to
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  Speaker 1: have a service that does go direct to London?
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  Speaker 4: It's o Katie. This was an opportunity that COVID presented
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  Speaker 4: and we had a lot of people within the Northern
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  Speaker 4: Territory government and Darwen International Airport work extremely hard to
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  Speaker 4: make that happen and it certainly puts the territory in
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  Speaker 4: Darwin at the forefront of Quantus's mind. So this was
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  Speaker 4: an opportunity. We will see that flight changed back to Perth,
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  Speaker 4: but we're certainly working with Quantus into the future. We've
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  Speaker 4: seen the announcement of the E one to ninety base,
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  Speaker 4: which is a wonderful opportunity for our region. So we'll
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  Speaker 4: keep working with Contus.
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  Speaker 2: But so as of so, when does it end?
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  Speaker 1: Is it from obviously they're winding it back now, but
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  Speaker 1: from June nineteen?
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  Speaker 2: Is that it? Then we no longer have that direct flight.
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  Speaker 4: That would be an operational question from Quantus. But my
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  Speaker 4: understanding is towards the end of May we'll see that
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  Speaker 4: route head back down to Perth. But as I just said,
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  Speaker 4: we'll keep working with Quantus around any opportunities and the
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  Speaker 4: agility the territory is shown and also a shout out
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  Speaker 4: to go on International Airport. It was you know, the
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  Speaker 4: team out there that also made this happen.
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  Speaker 1: All right, So obviously there is still the other hub
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  Speaker 1: that they're moving here. You know, I take on board
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  Speaker 1: what you're saying that we're going to be trying to
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  Speaker 1: work with Quantus to do it. But we just to
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  Speaker 1: confirm for our listeners, but we have we're not going
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  Speaker 1: to be continuing the direct flight to lund and correct Katie. Okay,
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  Speaker 1: let's talk about health funding now. Yesterday you announced the
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  Speaker 1: government's plans to bolster the capacity at Royal dal And
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  Speaker 1: Hospital as part of that two billion dollar investment into
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  Speaker 1: health infrastructure and services across the territory for the budget
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  Speaker 1: which is indeed being delivered next week.
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  Speaker 2: What exactly is this going to enable?
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  Speaker 4: So the health budget is the largest single component of
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  Speaker 4: the Northern Territory government budget and we provide healthcare right
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  Speaker 4: across the territory eighty remote clinics, six hospitals and so
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  Speaker 4: two billion dollars ensuring the health and care of Territorians.
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  Speaker 4: And this is from primary health care to those allied
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  Speaker 4: health support services right through to that acute care program
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  Speaker 4: such as the cyclotron coming online are all funded in
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  Speaker 4: this year's budget.
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  Speaker 1: Is it going to mean that you know that our
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  Speaker 1: weight list for things like elective surgery are hopefully going
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  Speaker 1: to move more quickly.
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  Speaker 4: Absolutely, we're focused in COVID is still with it and
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  Speaker 4: we have a number of people in hospital and idowledge
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  Speaker 4: a health staff that are working extremely hard caring for them.
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  Speaker 4: But this acknowledges those demand pressures and how we can
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  Speaker 4: work through providing that high quality care that Territorians deserve.
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  Speaker 1: Now, just again on that, you know, on that topic
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  Speaker 1: of health, it does seem as though it's a bit
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  Speaker 1: of a decrease in funding for the health system on
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  Speaker 1: last year though, is it, Yeah.
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  Speaker 4: Katie, So it is important. Last year we had the
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  Speaker 4: Center for National Resilience five hundred million approximately from the
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  Speaker 4: Commonwealth that came through the health budget as a sub
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  Speaker 4: agreement of the National Partnership Agreement. There was also other
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  Speaker 4: aspects to COVID that the Commonwealth government funded. So it's
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  Speaker 4: not a cut in any services, but it is a
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  Speaker 4: decrease in those overall numbers for the reasons I just outlined.
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  Speaker 1: Is it going to mean that we're going to you know,
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  Speaker 1: that we're going to see cutbacks within the hospital.
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  Speaker 4: No, Katie, So it need to be very clear with territory.
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  Speaker 4: And this is a decrease in that overall number. It's
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  Speaker 4: related to COVID and Center for National Resilient Resilience costs
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  Speaker 4: that we saw in the last financial year. But it's
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  Speaker 4: not a increase in any services. We're absolutely committed to
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  Speaker 4: the health and care of Territorians from remote communities right
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  Speaker 4: through to our cute hospitals.
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  Speaker 1: So with the Center for National Resilience, what is happening
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  Speaker 1: with it now? Are we going to have continued funding
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  Speaker 1: in like, is there going to be funding any funding
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  Speaker 1: in the Northern Territories budget for it or are we
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  Speaker 1: just reliant on the Federal government if we are going
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  Speaker 1: to keep it sort of operational.
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  Speaker 4: As we know how it Springs is provided an amazing opportunity.
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  Speaker 4: It's cared for Territorians, but it's provided repatriation for Territorians
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  Speaker 4: and Australians back home. And also it's going forward, we'll
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  Speaker 4: look at with the Commonwealth how we can utilize that facility.
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  Speaker 4: So it's anticipated from June thirty that it'll go to
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  Speaker 4: a different phase, but we would have the facility ready
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  Speaker 4: to stand up if we were to use it or
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  Speaker 4: need to use it, I should say, And.
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  Speaker 1: So what exactly will that phase be from June thirty?
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  Speaker 1: Is it sort of shutting it down?
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  Speaker 4: So it would be exactly as I just said that
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  Speaker 4: if we needed to utilize it, and if we did
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  Speaker 4: need to utilize it fairly quickly, and when I say
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  Speaker 4: fairly quickly, sort of within a week or so. If
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  Speaker 4: we were to see a new variant, COVID has had
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  Speaker 4: many twists and turns and things are looking promising presently,
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  Speaker 4: but if we were to see perhaps a new variant
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  Speaker 4: and we needed to quarantine people coming into Australia or
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  Speaker 4: we needed it for our youth. We'd need to be
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  Speaker 4: able to stand the facility up quickly, and so in
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  Speaker 4: terms of it phase post June thirty, we would accommodate that.
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  Speaker 4: In it well it.
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  Speaker 1: Cost, I mean, how much is it going to cost
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  Speaker 1: the taxpayer to sort of keep it there ready to
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  Speaker 1: stand up at any moment.
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  Speaker 4: So in terms of we're working with the Commonwealth to
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  Speaker 4: see what support they obviously have been able to utilize
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  Speaker 4: the facility. It's been a great working relationship. I think
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  Speaker 4: it's important that we are careful with taxpayer dollars, but
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  Speaker 4: we do need to spend something in terms of making
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  Speaker 4: sure that it can be stood up. But we don't
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  Speaker 4: want to be having services that aren't necessary out there.
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  Speaker 1: But so ultimately from June thirty, we're not really going
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  Speaker 1: to have staff out there or anything.
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  Speaker 4: So that is what I anticipate, and we'll be able
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  Speaker 4: to provide further information as we get closer to that
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  Speaker 4: timeframe exactly who's out there, what's happening, so Terrortorians can understand.
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  Speaker 4: When we received the facility from IMPEX a few years ago,
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  Speaker 4: there was sort of a care and maintenance program. So
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  Speaker 4: looking at what we did have, what it took to
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  Speaker 4: stand it up, there was quite a bit of work
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  Speaker 4: with plumbing, infrastructure, pest control for example. But what do
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  Speaker 4: we need to maintain it to a point that we
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  Speaker 4: can then stand that up as I just pointed out,
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  Speaker 4: within that timeframe of about a week if we were
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  Speaker 4: to see it needing to be utilized for COVID.
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  Speaker 2: All right, Minister, I do want to move along.
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  Speaker 1: You and I have spoken at lengths about the alcohol
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  Speaker 1: legislation for communities. It's a topic which a lot of
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  Speaker 1: people seem to be pretty concerned about. We spoke to
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  Speaker 1: Marian Scrimjaw yesterday. Labour's candidate Feline Gillari. This is what
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  Speaker 1: she had to say on the show yesterday.
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  Speaker 5: But it might be a good idea to talk to
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  Speaker 5: Selena as the Attorney General about that Northern Territory and
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  Speaker 5: what that process will be going forward.
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  Speaker 3: But I will be certainly.
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  Speaker 5: Advocating to the Northern Territory government that we maintain those
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  Speaker 5: restrictions in those communities. We cannot have open flavor into
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  Speaker 5: those communities.
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  Speaker 4: Katie.
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  Speaker 5: We're seeing a lot of dysfunction and unreas that's happening.
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  Speaker 1: Minister, there does not seem to be like there seems
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  Speaker 1: to be a lot of differing opinions in this space.
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  Speaker 1: Are you anticipating that these changes, well, that there's going
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  Speaker 1: to be changes needed to be made to this legislation
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  Speaker 1: before it's even debated.
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  Speaker 4: So, Katie, there is a lot of opinions and there's
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  Speaker 4: a lot of views, and the policy of alcohol is
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  Speaker 4: a difficult space. But we have and as we've spoken
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  Speaker 4: about previously, the intervention and then stronger futures bought in
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  Speaker 4: Commonwealth legislation that restricted takeaway alcohol across the Northern Territory
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  Speaker 4: in town camps, outstations and communities ceases in July, and
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  Speaker 4: so then essentially there will be no framework to restrict
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  Speaker 4: the supply of alcohol. What we're doing is we, within
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  Speaker 4: our legal capacity, is introducing the legislation that's that's in
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  Speaker 4: the House and we anticipated all pass in May that
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  Speaker 4: allows communities outstation town camps to opt in to remain
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  Speaker 4: dry areas. And so we're doing that within our legal
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  Speaker 4: framework that doesn't intervene with the Northern Territory Racial Discriminate
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  Speaker 4: Sorry the Commonwealth Racial Discrimination Act or the Northern Territory
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  Speaker 4: Anti Discrimination Act. This is complex the policy area, but
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  Speaker 4: we are providing a mechanism. Some are criticizing that mechanism,
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  Speaker 4: but it is a mechanism that we have to do
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  Speaker 4: that well.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, you've even got the lots of Marion Strmjaw obviously,
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  Speaker 1: who is part of the Labor Party, is saying that
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  Speaker 1: she's got serious concerns about this. She spoke to me
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  Speaker 1: on the show yesterday and said that she's also spoken
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  Speaker 1: to the Attorney General Selena Rubo about it, She's spoken
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  Speaker 1: to Chancey Paged about it, and that you know the
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  Speaker 1: she's got serious concerns in this space.
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  Speaker 2: Do you have the support of your colleagues on this?
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  Speaker 4: Absolutely?
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  Speaker 3: So.
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  Speaker 4: This legislation allows those areas to remain dry, the status
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  Speaker 4: quo which many people are calling for post July. If
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  Speaker 4: we were to do nothing in this space because the
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  Speaker 4: Commonwealth legislation ends, there would be no restrictions. So I
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  Speaker 4: know people are saying it's not ideal, it's not what
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  Speaker 4: we want, but within the legislative framework, this is all
• 10:27
  Speaker 4: we can do.
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  Speaker 2: Well, Minister, I am going to have to leave it there.
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  Speaker 1: Unfortunately, we've got a very full out we appreciate your
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: time this morning.
• 10:33
  Speaker 2: Thank you, thank you,