Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie Woolf spoke with Federal Member for Solomon Luke Gosling

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Katie Woolf spoke with Federal Member for Solomon Luke Gosling · 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
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  Speaker 1: hundred percent ant.
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  Speaker 2: Well, if you were listening to the show yesterday morning,
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  Speaker 2: you would have heard myself and Luke Gosling, Labour's Member
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  Speaker 2: for Solomon, discussing the need for a Royal commission into
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  Speaker 2: veteran suicide. It's certainly not the first time that we
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  Speaker 2: discussed this situation, and by yesterday afternoon the Prime Minister
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  Speaker 2: Scott Morrison made the announcement that there will be a
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  Speaker 2: Royal commission. Now joining me in the studio is Luke Gosling.
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  Speaker 3: Good morning to you, Luke, Morning Katie.
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  Speaker 2: By yesterday afternoon, Luke, we've found out that this is
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  Speaker 2: finally happening, this Royal commission. You must have been pleased
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  Speaker 2: that the Prime Minister had finally gone down the path
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  Speaker 2: that so many have been calling for for such a
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  Speaker 2: long time.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, I was really pleased, Cadie. Initially, to be honest,
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  Speaker 3: I was confused because lots of people had heard me
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  Speaker 3: on radio with you talking about the meritorious Unit citation decision,
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  Speaker 3: and I thought people were texting me about that, but
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  Speaker 3: then someone said, no, you Pelican. Have a look on
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  Speaker 3: the TV. The Prime ministers announced the Royal Commission in
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  Speaker 3: the Veteran Defense Aside, which is fantastic news. Its I'm
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  Speaker 3: not being political, but it's taken the government a long
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  Speaker 3: time to realize that the only way to fix the
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  Speaker 3: system and make sure it's as good as we possibly
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  Speaker 3: can get it is to listen to all the experts
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  Speaker 3: are to listen to the families, are to listen to
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  Speaker 3: the veterans about their experiences through that arm's length, systemic
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  Speaker 3: approach of a Royal commission so that we get it right.
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  Speaker 2: And look, as a former serviceman, this is something that
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  Speaker 2: you and some other MPs have really been pushing very
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  Speaker 2: hard on. I know that you'd been in discussions as
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  Speaker 2: well with different families here in the Northern Territory who
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  Speaker 2: have been impacted. It is so important that this happens,
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  Speaker 2: but it's so important that we get it right when
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  Speaker 2: it comes to the terms of reference.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, the terms of reference are essential. And I just
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  Speaker 3: want to publicly thank everyone, all those families, all those veterans,
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  Speaker 3: all those that loved veterans who really got behind this
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  Speaker 3: campaign because it's really you know, it's worked, it's succeeded
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  Speaker 3: in getting us to this point. The terms of reference
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  Speaker 3: now is critical, as you say, Katie, because if it's
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  Speaker 3: not broad ranging, it won't get all the voices and
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  Speaker 3: it won't get the best possible recommendation. So you know,
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  Speaker 3: I and other veterans have been a bit worried that
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  Speaker 3: Minister Darren Chester hasn't hasn't been very receptive to the
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  Speaker 3: idea of a Royal commission until now. We're worried that
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  Speaker 3: maybe the Department of Veterans Affairs hands him in terms
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  Speaker 3: of reference and he goes with that. So I was
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  Speaker 3: glad to hear this morning that he is going to
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  Speaker 3: travel around the country and talk to veterans and families,
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  Speaker 3: ex service organizations. It's really important that they take on
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  Speaker 3: board that feedback because if we're going to spend these
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  Speaker 3: funds on a Royal commission, we go to only do
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  Speaker 3: it once. We've got to make sure it's right.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, you spot on. That's something that you and I
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  Speaker 2: have discussed previously as well. Is I'd questioned whether we
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  Speaker 2: need to spend all of that money on a royal commission.
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  Speaker 2: Is it better just investing that money on the services
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  Speaker 2: that we require. But you'd pointed out to me that
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  Speaker 2: we've got to make sure that we know that it's
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  Speaker 2: going into the right areas and that it's going into
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  Speaker 2: the right services, which is so important.
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  Speaker 3: And despite the best efforts of everyone out there in
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  Speaker 3: the veteran support system, we know that too many of
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  Speaker 3: our brothers and sisters making that faithful decision and leaving
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  Speaker 3: shattered families in their wake. So let's get it right.
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  Speaker 3: Let's do it properly and really encourage the broadest possible
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  Speaker 3: terms of reference so that we get the best result.
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  Speaker 2: And of course if you or anybody that you know
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  Speaker 2: does need help or support, you are able to get
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  Speaker 2: in contact with life Line. On thirteen eleven fourteen, Luke Gosling,
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  Speaker 2: before I let you go, what's been the reaction this
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  Speaker 2: morning from some of the Territori's veterans. I know that
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  Speaker 2: you're in close contact with many of them and have
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  Speaker 2: certainly been on campaigning for this royal commission. What's been
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  Speaker 2: the reaction this morning.
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  Speaker 3: There's a bit of relief, and there's this sense of
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  Speaker 3: the nation has listened to the pleas of the veteran
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  Speaker 3: and defense community that there's something wrong here with our system,
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  Speaker 3: and so that sense that at last our voices have
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  Speaker 3: been heard. Some sadness of the preventable deaths that have
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  Speaker 3: happened in the last eighty months and beyond, but a
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  Speaker 3: sense of hope that in the lead up to ANZAC
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  Speaker 3: Day on the weekend, the nation has remembered its responsibility
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  Speaker 3: to the people that go overseas in our name, the
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  Speaker 3: people that respond here in Australia to disasters that do
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  Speaker 3: us so proud. And instead of just thanking people for
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  Speaker 3: their service, we're going to say thank you for your service,
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  Speaker 3: and we're going to make sure that it's the best
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  Speaker 3: possible system of support possible.
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  Speaker 2: Look, before I let you go, you and I had
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  Speaker 2: spoken a couple of weeks ago about the need for
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  Speaker 2: an extension on some of the federal grants when it
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  Speaker 2: comes to building your first home and the situation that
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  Speaker 2: we're in here in the Northern Territory. It's been an outset.
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  Speaker 2: It is going to be extended.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, that's right, Katie, And I think it was your
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  Speaker 3: one of the listeners, mel who called in and there
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  Speaker 3: was a problem with running out of time during and
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  Speaker 3: due to the wet season that the cutoff was going
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  Speaker 3: to be too soon, so it is really good that
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  Speaker 3: the federal government have listened to that. And for those
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  Speaker 3: that were eligible for the home Builder scheme prior to
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  Speaker 3: March to thirty first, when it cut off, they only
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  Speaker 3: had six months to get the work done. That's been
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  Speaker 3: extended for twelve months, so there's now eighteen months after
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  Speaker 3: signing contracts for that construction to commence for the Home
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  Speaker 3: Order program, so that's great news. And just finally, Katie
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  Speaker 3: just want to give a shout out to Senator Jackie
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  Speaker 3: Lamby and some of the mums Julian, Ane Finney and
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  Speaker 3: Karen Bird who really were really staunch in this campaign.
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  Speaker 3: So it was a big team effort. And thanks to
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  Speaker 3: everyone who including yourself Catie, who helped us to campaign
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  Speaker 3: for this Royal commission.
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  Speaker 2: Luke Gosling, always good to catch up with you. We
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  Speaker 2: really appreciate your time this morning.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you see ya.
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  Speaker 2: That is Labour's Member Fort Solomon, Luke Gosling, our federal
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  Speaker 2: representative in Canberra