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

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Joining us on the line right now is the Opposition
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: leader Leah fanochi Aro.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning, Leah, Good morning Katie, and good morning to
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  Speaker 2: your listeners.
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  Speaker 1: Now Leah, obviously we're all keeping a very close eye
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  Speaker 1: on this COVID cluster in Sydney, including the Northern Territory government.
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  Speaker 1: They've got cabinet meetings happening each day to decide exactly
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  Speaker 1: whether we keep these hot spots in place and keep
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  Speaker 1: Sydney siders out of the territory.
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  Speaker 3: Do you think that should continue to happen.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, Look, it's such a terrible situation to happen, and
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  Speaker 2: so close to Christmas, and I guess it just shows
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  Speaker 2: us just how unpredictable COVID really is. But of course
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  Speaker 2: government need to be taking that best health advice. They
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  Speaker 2: need to be meeting regularly and assessing this information, and
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  Speaker 2: as soon as we're able to do so, we need
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  Speaker 2: to lift the hotspots. But of course we can't do
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  Speaker 2: it prematurely, so it really needs to be let on
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  Speaker 2: the best health advice. But acknowledging that this must be
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  Speaker 2: just an excruciatingly difficult time for so many people who
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  Speaker 2: are being you know, having to be kept away from
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  Speaker 2: loved ones around Christmas.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely, and then you think of those people that
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  Speaker 1: are that are obviously having to quarantine out at Howard
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  Speaker 1: Springs as well over the Christmas period. Gee, it's tough
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  Speaker 1: to be away from your loved ones over Christmas.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's It's just an awful, awful thing. I mean,
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  Speaker 2: of course, we need government to work in the most
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  Speaker 2: efficient way. We need to ensure that people have the
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  Speaker 2: information they need as soon as they can get it.
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  Speaker 2: It's very unfortunate and we've seen twice now we're plane
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  Speaker 2: to have been mid air where the hot spot decision
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  Speaker 2: has been made and of course people have had to
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  Speaker 2: land and then be notified of the terrible news. But
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  Speaker 2: you know, there's a fine balance there, and we just
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  Speaker 2: need to make sure that we do what we have
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  Speaker 2: to do, and we have to do it and then
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  Speaker 2: get people reunited as soon as it's safe to do so.
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  Speaker 1: Leah, speaking of acting swiftly and deficiently, it is being
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  Speaker 1: reported by the ABC this morning that some people have
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  Speaker 1: had to wait up to two hours on the line
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  Speaker 1: to try and book in for their COVID tests. Is
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  Speaker 1: that acceptable in your eyes?
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  Speaker 2: Well, again, it just comes down to that question of
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  Speaker 2: is the government really prepared for this hotspot management. Of course,
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  Speaker 2: in November we saw the extraordinary debacle in our springs
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  Speaker 2: where people were being put on planes, taken off planes,
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  Speaker 2: moved from quarantine, analys, moved to Darwin, and it really
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  Speaker 2: highlighted that the Gunner government hadn't put as much thought
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  Speaker 2: and preparation into hotspots management as people would have expected.
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  Speaker 2: And so you know, of course, as soon as those
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  Speaker 2: cases fled up in Sydney, the next thing you would
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  Speaker 2: think would happen would of course be that people are
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  Speaker 2: starting to make a number of inquiries about what they
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  Speaker 2: have to do, when they have to do it, and
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  Speaker 2: whether or not they need to get text tested, and
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  Speaker 2: so the territory government needs to ramp up at the
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  Speaker 2: same time. So it's early unfortunate we've seen those delays.
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  Speaker 2: I've got no doubt that our frontline staff are working
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  Speaker 2: over time to try and get people the information they need.
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  Speaker 2: But again the Gunner government need to ensure that with
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  Speaker 2: hotspot management we have that immediate ability to scale up
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  Speaker 2: and scale back. LEA.
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  Speaker 1: Let's move along and talk about another issue which has
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  Speaker 1: really dominated headlines over the last few months, and that
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  Speaker 1: is some of the issues that we're seeing in Alice
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  Speaker 1: Springs around crime.
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  Speaker 3: Now, yesterday we.
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  Speaker 1: Know that a thirty nine year old man was charged
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  Speaker 1: with assaulting a police officer in Alice Springs. Police alleged
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  Speaker 1: the man bit the officer on the face when police
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  Speaker 1: responded to a request for assistance. The officer had to
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  Speaker 1: be conveyed to Alice Springs Hospital for treatment and did
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  Speaker 1: not require admission luckily. But gee, it just goes to
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  Speaker 1: show you some of the difficult situations that our police
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  Speaker 1: officers are put in.
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  Speaker 2: Oh, without question, and this is a horrid I mean,
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  Speaker 2: I asked during estimates about assaults on police and the
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  Speaker 2: numbers are scarily high. The government couldn't tell me at
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  Speaker 2: the time how many people who assault police are charged
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  Speaker 2: and then how many go on to get convicted. So
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  Speaker 2: I'm waiting for that information to come back. Because our
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  Speaker 2: frontline work is our police are ambos. They're out there
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  Speaker 2: protecting arts and to be assaulted, it's just it must
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  Speaker 2: be condemned in the strongest possible terms. We've been calling
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  Speaker 2: on the government to make tougher penalties around assaults on police.
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  Speaker 2: Of course, they went to election promising that they would
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  Speaker 2: do this type of thing. But again in estimates, I
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  Speaker 2: got hollow words from the minister palming this off to
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  Speaker 2: the police Association. Now, the Police Association have been very clear,
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  Speaker 2: very strong that they want tougher consequences and that they
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  Speaker 2: want to work with government on this. But it's in
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  Speaker 2: you know, the ball is in the government's court to
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  Speaker 2: bring in law early next year and sort this issue
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  Speaker 2: out because it's completely unacceptable.
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  Speaker 1: Leah. What would those tougher consequences look like? What do
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  Speaker 1: you want to see in this space?
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  Speaker 2: Well, I think people want to see strengthening of the
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  Speaker 2: mandatory sentencing around assaults on police. We need to understand
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  Speaker 2: whether or not people are actually serving any jail time
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  Speaker 2: for assault from police, and whether or not the legislation
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  Speaker 2: is working, and which is why I asked those questions
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  Speaker 2: in the Parliament. We need to sign a very strong
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  Speaker 2: message of deterrence that this is not acceptable and it's
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  Speaker 2: not okay, and you know, more needs to be done
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  Speaker 2: to protect the people who are out there every day
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  Speaker 2: protecting us.
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  Speaker 1: Let's keep moving, Leah, And I want to talk about Christmas.
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  Speaker 1: I know it's been such a massive year for everybody,
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  Speaker 1: There is no doubt about that. We talked yesterday though
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  Speaker 1: about some of our wonderful seniors in the community who
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  Speaker 1: are spending Christmas alone. We talked about some of the
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  Speaker 1: different programs that are underway, not only in the Northern
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  Speaker 1: Territory but nationwide to try to support those seniors. And
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  Speaker 1: I understand that there is actually a program that Angler
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  Speaker 1: Care have a program here in the Northern Territory which
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  Speaker 1: does try to connect seniors with Territorians who.
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  Speaker 3: Might be alone.
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  Speaker 1: I think he went out and actually went and saw
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  Speaker 1: the people who delivered that program.
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  Speaker 3: Can you tell us a bit more about it?
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  Speaker 2: So there's of course, you know, it's been a very
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  Speaker 2: tough year. It's really hampered organization's ability to fundraise and
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  Speaker 2: do what they need to do. But of course we've
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  Speaker 2: seen people like Saint Vinnie's and Food Bank and everyone
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  Speaker 2: else be able to gear up and deliver much needed
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  Speaker 2: support this Christmas. But I had that privilege of catching
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  Speaker 2: up with Stephanie, who's the volunteer coordinator at Anglicaren some
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  Speaker 2: of her volunteers last week and she was explaining to
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  Speaker 2: me about their Community Visitors scheme, which runs right across
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  Speaker 2: the territories. So no matter where you're tuning in from
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  Speaker 2: this morning, but what I'm about to say, you know,
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  Speaker 2: applies to you. And they're looking for volunteers to conduct
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  Speaker 2: fortnightly visits to seniors right across the territory. And this
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  Speaker 2: is focused on ensuring that there, you know, people aren't
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  Speaker 2: being socially or culturally isolated as they get older. And
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  Speaker 2: so if you're keen to become a volunteer, it's a
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  Speaker 2: lovely fortnightly visit to someone in your area and it's
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  Speaker 2: right across the Northern Territory and that just makes all
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  Speaker 2: the difference in the lives of those seniors who might
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  Speaker 2: be alone. And particularly if you are someone who speaks
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  Speaker 2: a language other than English, Angler can need you and
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  Speaker 2: they're particularly looking for people who speak Polish, Greek, Hakker, Cantonese,
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  Speaker 2: Portuguese and Italian. So, if you're thinking about what your
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  Speaker 2: New Year's resolution is going to be and that you'd
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  Speaker 2: like to give back to the community volunteering with Angler
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  Speaker 2: Care through the community visit a scheme where you undertake
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  Speaker 2: fortnightly visits to a senior in your area right across
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  Speaker 2: the territory. Please get in touch with Stephanie. The number
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  Speaker 2: is eight nine two eight zero six to zero.
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  Speaker 3: Just repeat that number for us again if you can.
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  Speaker 2: Leah, Yeah, so that's called Stephanie an anglicare on eight
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  Speaker 2: nine two eight zero six to zero.
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  Speaker 3: I think that's such a fantastic idea.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, I know that there'll be some people that
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  Speaker 1: are living in the Northern Territory right now who don't
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  Speaker 1: actually have their grandparents either close by, or their grandparents
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  Speaker 1: are no longer with us, and you know, being able
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  Speaker 1: to actually go out and visit a senior and do
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  Speaker 1: a nice thing for somebody else, but also you know
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  Speaker 1: it would be an enjoyable thing to do for yourself
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  Speaker 1: as well.
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  Speaker 3: I reckon it's such a good idea.
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  Speaker 2: Oh for sure, it would be excellent to build those
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  Speaker 2: relationships and make that connection with someone. I mean, our
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  Speaker 2: seniors have given their whole life to our country. They've worked,
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  Speaker 2: they've served, they perform important volunteer roles themselves, and in
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  Speaker 2: those later years, you know, it's incumbent upon us, the
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  Speaker 2: next generation to ensure that people have that dignity and
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  Speaker 2: respect in their later years. So community visitor scheme right
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  Speaker 2: across the territory. I can't plug it enough. Katie Angler
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  Speaker 2: can need you particularly again if you do speak another language,
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  Speaker 2: we don't want our seniors socially a culturally isolated, So
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  Speaker 2: put it on your new year's resolution list of things
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  Speaker 2: to do come January.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, good idea.
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  Speaker 1: Well, Leah finocchi Are thank you so very much for
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  Speaker 1: your time this morning, but thank you so very much
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  Speaker 1: for your time throughout the year you've been on the
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  Speaker 1: show with us each and every week. It's been a
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  Speaker 1: massive ye for all of our politicians and we really
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  Speaker 1: appreciate the time that you give us each and every
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  Speaker 1: week here on three point sixty.
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  Speaker 2: Oh, it's my pleasure and thank you to Katie and
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  Speaker 2: your team. And of course you're wonderful listeners. You know,
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  Speaker 2: it's really important programs like yours because of course listeners
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  Speaker 2: are able to not only hear what's coming up to date,
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  Speaker 2: but they can interact and that's important the members of
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  Speaker 2: parliament as well, you know, to hear the feedback on
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  Speaker 2: the ground and understand the issues that are important to
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  Speaker 2: territory no matter where they live. So i'd just like
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  Speaker 2: to wish everyone a very safe and merry Christmas, a
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  Speaker 2: happy new Year, and I look forward to engaging with
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  Speaker 2: you all come the new year.
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  Speaker 1: Absolutely well, Leah. In the new year, we'll catch up
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  Speaker 1: with you again on Wednesdays. We'll talk to you then.
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  Speaker 2: Thanks everyone, but thank you.
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  Speaker 1: That is Leah Fanocchiaro, the Opposition leader. And I tell
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  Speaker 1: you what, it's been a busy.
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  Speaker 3: Year, a big year, no doubt about it.
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  Speaker 1: And Leah Fanocchio has been a regular on the show
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  Speaker 1: and we always appreciate the time that she gives us
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  Speaker 1: as the opposition leader.