Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Chief Minister Natasha Fyles responds to the findings of an NT police survey and explains some building compliance issues

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Chief Minister Natasha Fyles responds to the findings of an NT police survey and explains some building compliance issues · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Now, as you heard on the show on Friday, the
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Northern Territory Police Association has released the interim results from
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: their survey into confidence in the Police Commissioner and concerns
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: within the force, and the results confirm a force which
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: is broken, with rank and file officers losing confidence in
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: their leader. Now one thousand and forty four police took
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: part in that survey, which is sixty five percent of
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: the membership and the largest general survey results ever received
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: by the union. Now almost eighty percent of respondents said
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: that they do not have confidence in the Police Commissioner
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: Jamie Chalker, while ninety two percent said that they don't
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: think that there are enough police in the Northern Territory.
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: The results are incredibly concerning, with many now looking to
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: the government for answers and wondering how the Police Commissioner
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: can remain in the top job. Now joining me in
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: the studio right now is the Chief Minister of the
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: Northern Territory, Natasha Files.
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: Good morning to you.
• 0:56
  Speaker 3: Good morning, Katie, Good morning listeners.
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: Now, Chief Minister, what was your reaction to these results?
• 1:01
  Speaker 4: Oh, Katie, of course I paid attention to these results.
• 1:05
  Speaker 4: Our police work incredibly hard and I know that the
• 1:08
  Speaker 4: Minister for Police has spoken with both the Commissioner and
• 1:11
  Speaker 4: the Police Association. I think it's the point that you
• 1:14
  Speaker 4: just made that police out on the beat don't feel
• 1:17
  Speaker 4: that there's enough police. That's a point that we have
• 1:19
  Speaker 4: to look into because we have seen a significant increase
• 1:22
  Speaker 4: to the police budget thirty six percent since twenty sixteen.
• 1:25
  Speaker 4: But I absolutely hear from the members on the ground
• 1:28
  Speaker 4: that they are feeling unsupported.
• 1:30
  Speaker 3: To put it simply, well, this is the.
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: Thing, and it's not the first time that we've sort
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: of heard this.
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: This is something that has been has been bubbling along
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: for quite some time. But essentially seventy nine point nine
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: percent of respondents to that survey said that they do
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: not have confidence in the Police Commissioner.
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: Do you still have confidence in the Police Commissioner?
• 1:51
  Speaker 3: Yes?
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: How are you going to manage this then?
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: Where you've like you've got eight out of ten of
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: the rank and file police saying that they don't and
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: that they don't believe that he's the right person to
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: lead them through what's been a difficult time and a
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: difficult challenge. If you've still got that confidence as the
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: chief minister, how do you respond to those rank and
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: file officers.
• 2:13
  Speaker 4: And I think that's why it's so important that we
• 2:15
  Speaker 4: listen to them through their association.
• 2:17
  Speaker 3: They've got their conference later this week. Katie.
• 2:20
  Speaker 4: We've invested significantly in police, and not just in police
• 2:23
  Speaker 4: numbers but in the infrastructure to support them to do
• 2:26
  Speaker 4: their job. But if they are still feeling that way,
• 2:30
  Speaker 4: these are complex problems that we have to address. We
• 2:33
  Speaker 4: have to listen to the officers on the ground and
• 2:36
  Speaker 4: work through so that we can have a strong police
• 2:38
  Speaker 4: force that can care for territory.
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: And do you have any plans at all to review
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: his position or look at this position right now given
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: what the.
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: Force are telling you?
• 2:49
  Speaker 4: So, Katie, we need to work through what the force
• 2:51
  Speaker 4: are telling us through these survey results with the Commissioner.
• 2:54
  Speaker 4: I expect him to take this on board. It has
• 2:57
  Speaker 4: been an incredibly tough couple of years for everyone in
• 3:00
  Speaker 4: Northern Territory Police. They've gone above and beyond in keeping
• 3:04
  Speaker 4: our community safe, but we do need to make sure
• 3:07
  Speaker 4: that we look after them because we know there's been
• 3:10
  Speaker 4: tragically wellbeing issues. There's been work done in that space,
• 3:14
  Speaker 4: but it's across the system. It's making sure when they
• 3:16
  Speaker 4: go out on the beat that they've got the tools
• 3:18
  Speaker 4: to do their job, whether it's around resources in terms
• 3:22
  Speaker 4: of police numbers, access to CCTV, good computer systems to
• 3:26
  Speaker 4: support them.
• 3:27
  Speaker 3: It's complex.
• 3:28
  Speaker 2: I've got to be honest.
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: It does sound as though the government right now is
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: continuing to trot out the same lines, you know, the
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: same things that police that our rank and file police
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: have been hearing for weeks, for months. And I did
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: hear the Police Minister on the ABC this morning and
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: thought exactly the same thing.
• 3:44
  Speaker 2: You know, you've literally got a situation.
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: Right now where almost eighty percent of police say that
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: they do not have confidence in their leader. The questioning
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: around confidence in the commissioner was brought about because of
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: several of those police association regions calling for a vote
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: of no confidence to happen the Northern Territory police leadership
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: and your government and you guys refuse to acknowledge that
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: discontent and believe that there was only a small number
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: of police who were not happy. Now these results paint
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: a very very different picture. How long do you think
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: that you can continue to ignore these Northern Territory police officers?
• 4:20
  Speaker 3: Well, Katie, I would politely disagree.
• 4:22
  Speaker 4: I think that the fact that the Police Minister has
• 4:26
  Speaker 4: spoken to the association and will attend their conference later
• 4:29
  Speaker 4: this week. We need to understand the complexity of these
• 4:32
  Speaker 4: complexities of these issues and how we're going to drive
• 4:34
  Speaker 4: that change, because it's not just about dollars and systems
• 4:39
  Speaker 4: and resources. That is all incredibly important and that has
• 4:42
  Speaker 4: been delivered and will continue to be so, but it's
• 4:44
  Speaker 4: how can we support them in doing their jobs right
• 4:46
  Speaker 4: across the territory And there's different issues in different parts
• 4:50
  Speaker 4: of the territory.
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  Speaker 1: Well, there's some enormous issues, you know how. I'm just
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: trying to wrap my head around how the government feels
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: as though those changes can happen when you've got a
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: eighty percent of the four saying that they don't have
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: confidence in their leader. So if they haven't had confidence
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: in their leader leading up to this point, how can
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: they then have that confidence that he's the right person
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: to go down this path of making sure that they
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: can do their jobs.
• 5:16
  Speaker 4: So, Katie, the job of being a police officer in
• 5:19
  Speaker 4: the Northern Territory is incompleted, is incredibly tough, and it
• 5:22
  Speaker 4: varies from remote policing through to some of the task
• 5:26
  Speaker 4: force teams. We see in our urban areas, and so
• 5:28
  Speaker 4: we need to understand in each region of the territory
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  Speaker 4: what are those complexities and how can we support those
• 5:34
  Speaker 4: officers to do the best that they can and keep
• 5:37
  Speaker 4: territory in safe. So what are the next steps now
• 5:39
  Speaker 4: from the government's perspective, because from what I'm hearing from
• 5:42
  Speaker 4: both you and from what I've heard this morning from
• 5:44
  Speaker 4: the Police Minister, you've still got confidence in the Commissioner.
• 5:48
  Speaker 4: You know you're taking on board these results, but it
• 5:51
  Speaker 4: doesn't sound as though there's any changes of Fosh. So
• 5:54
  Speaker 4: the Police Minister will be attending the Police Association conference,
• 5:57
  Speaker 4: which I think is later this week Katie. So she's
• 6:00
  Speaker 4: certainly since she's become the Police Minister a few short
• 6:02
  Speaker 4: months ago, has been actively out there meeting with officers
• 6:06
  Speaker 4: right across the Northern territory but also working with the Association,
• 6:10
  Speaker 4: the union that represents our police officers, and we will
• 6:14
  Speaker 4: understand these headline figures that we're hearing, what is driving
• 6:18
  Speaker 4: behind that and what can we do to improve our
• 6:20
  Speaker 4: police service.
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: Well, particularly when you look at and you touched on
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: this right at the start of the interview, ninety two
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: percent of police are saying that they do not think
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: that there are enough police in the Northern Territory to
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: do what's being.
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: Asked of them.
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  Speaker 1: Seventy nine point four percent rated morale as low or
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: very low. The Police Association President Paul McCue said that
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: the results speak for themselves and that there are no secrets.
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: He says there needs to be a plan in place
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: to address this and it is an enormous concern.
• 6:50
  Speaker 2: So right now the plan.
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: Is that the government that you're going to have the
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: minister attend the conference on Friday, and is there anything
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: beyond that?
• 6:58
  Speaker 4: So, Katie, when you talk about police and the police
• 7:01
  Speaker 4: feel that there is not enough police and that they
• 7:03
  Speaker 4: feel like they don't have the resources, that thirty six
• 7:06
  Speaker 4: percent increases over one hundred million dollars. So that's significant.
• 7:09
  Speaker 4: So why has that not driven the change that we
• 7:11
  Speaker 4: would have expected? So I think it is really important
• 7:13
  Speaker 4: to that Association conference for the Minister to get her
• 7:17
  Speaker 4: head and understand all of these issues so that we
• 7:20
  Speaker 4: can work together to drive that change.
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: So is there going to be any kind of review
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: into the force? Is there going to be any closer look,
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: because you know, I could go back through some of
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: the issues that have been raised over the last couple
• 7:31
  Speaker 1: of years. We're talking about mental health, you know, we're
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: talking about that morale within the force. We're talking about,
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: you know, the concerns that a lot of police officers
• 7:40
  Speaker 1: had following on from the trial of Zachary Rolf.
• 7:43
  Speaker 2: But we're also talking.
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: About a community that feels as well that there's not
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: enough police to do their jobs.
• 7:49
  Speaker 3: And Katie, I meet with police as well. I work
• 7:51
  Speaker 3: with them.
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  Speaker 4: They're a part of my community in terms of the
• 7:54
  Speaker 4: well being and the supports to our police. There has
• 7:56
  Speaker 4: been a review undertaken in that space to ensure that
• 7:59
  Speaker 4: the right resources are there to care for people. I'm
• 8:02
  Speaker 4: not sure that an overall review of the police force
• 8:06
  Speaker 4: is what is needed. I think that people want to
• 8:08
  Speaker 4: see action, and that's clear from those survey results.
• 8:10
  Speaker 2: But what action are they going to see?
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: Like you've literally just said that what's going to happen
• 8:15
  Speaker 1: is that the Police Minister is going to attend the
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: conference on Friday, Like, I don't understand why there's not
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: immediacy from the Northern Territory government at this point. And
• 8:23
  Speaker 1: I know people are going to be screaming at their
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: radios saying the same.
• 8:27
  Speaker 3: So Katie.
• 8:27
  Speaker 4: We got the survey results late last week. The Police
• 8:30
  Speaker 4: Association and the Police Commissioner have been briefed on them.
• 8:33
  Speaker 4: They will be discussed in detail at the conference and
• 8:36
  Speaker 4: through those discussions we can identify what needs to be done.
• 8:39
  Speaker 4: I can point to the significant budget increase around police
• 8:43
  Speaker 4: in the Northern Territory sense we came to government, but
• 8:45
  Speaker 4: we absolutely acknowledge that more needs to be done. But
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  Speaker 4: what that is we have to work hand in hand
• 8:50
  Speaker 4: with our police.
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  Speaker 1: All Right. We've got a situation where your government obviously
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: is continuing to you know, to trot out that line
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: about having the biggest investment into police than any other government,
• 9:00
  Speaker 1: more police than.
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: Ever before to do the job.
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: But right now, like I've said, that message from the
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: police is very clear. It's there in black and white
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: from that survey and the results. Well, they don't even
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: go into some of the issues at this point when
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: it comes to mental health and other things. I'm sure
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: that they will once we see that commentary that Paul
• 9:19
  Speaker 1: McHugh spoke about.
• 9:21
  Speaker 2: But I do I want to say that a lot
• 9:22
  Speaker 2: of people.
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: Listen to this show, and a lot of Northern Territory
• 9:25
  Speaker 1: police officers listen to this show, and they are hurting.
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: I've spoken to current and former serving officers over the weekend.
• 9:33
  Speaker 2: They've had enough. They feel the government are not listening
• 9:36
  Speaker 2: or that they do not want to hear what they
• 9:38
  Speaker 2: are saying.
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: Chief Minister, what is your message for those police officers
• 9:43
  Speaker 1: that are feeling that way this morning?
• 9:46
  Speaker 3: So we value our police officers.
• 9:47
  Speaker 4: We've valued the enormous amount of work and over the
• 9:49
  Speaker 4: last two years they've had to do things that I
• 9:52
  Speaker 4: don't think anyone would have expected. We've had them out
• 9:55
  Speaker 4: on borders, we've had them working in really trying conditions,
• 9:58
  Speaker 4: and we need to work with them and the lead
• 10:00
  Speaker 4: that they have through the Police Union, so that we
• 10:02
  Speaker 4: can implement the change that they crave.
• 10:04
  Speaker 1: So the Opposition leader is calling for Kate Warden, the
• 10:08
  Speaker 1: Police Minister, to stand down from that portfolio and you
• 10:11
  Speaker 1: to take it on should that happen.
• 10:13
  Speaker 4: So Minister Warden has got the tenacity and the skills
• 10:17
  Speaker 4: and the passion, and that is shown by the fact
• 10:19
  Speaker 4: that she is talking to the Police Association will attend
• 10:23
  Speaker 4: to their conference and work through these issues on behalf
• 10:26
  Speaker 4: of their members.
• 10:27
  Speaker 1: I mean, can you guarantee to those officers that are
• 10:29
  Speaker 1: listening this morning. The government is really hearing what they
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: are saying right now. Absolutely, yes, you are hearing it.
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: Is there going to be changed.
• 10:39
  Speaker 3: There has to be change, Katie.
• 10:40
  Speaker 4: We can't keep you know, just simply saying here's more resources,
• 10:45
  Speaker 4: here's more money. We have to understand the complexities of
• 10:47
  Speaker 4: these issues and it will take time. But I understand
• 10:50
  Speaker 4: that our police officers want to see some immediate action,
• 10:53
  Speaker 4: but they also want to know some of those long
• 10:55
  Speaker 4: term issues are being addressed and will be addressed.
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: Now we have just received in this morning that schools
• 11:01
  Speaker 1: are going to be striking on Friday this week. So
• 11:05
  Speaker 1: essentially the Commissioner for Public Employment in the Australian Education
• 11:09
  Speaker 1: Union are in current negotiations on the new anti public
• 11:13
  Speaker 1: sector non contract Principles Teachers and Assistant Teachers Enterprise Agreement,
• 11:17
  Speaker 1: so the paid dispute, I guess you'd say to put
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: it to put it bluntly for our listeners, but we
• 11:23
  Speaker 1: do know as well that they've received Now the Department
• 11:26
  Speaker 1: of Education has received formal notification from the Northern Territory
• 11:29
  Speaker 1: branch of the Australian Education Union that planned industrial action
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: is going to impact Darwin and Palmerston schools and work
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: sites this Friday between nine am and one pm. What
• 11:42
  Speaker 1: have the unions told you that they want here? Why
• 11:44
  Speaker 1: are they taking this strike action?
• 11:46
  Speaker 2: Katie?
• 11:47
  Speaker 3: It's a pretty big jump.
• 11:48
  Speaker 4: So an enterprise bargaining agreement is where the union come
• 11:51
  Speaker 4: to the government and say in the next EBA we'd
• 11:54
  Speaker 4: like to see X, Y and Z, and those negotiations
• 11:57
  Speaker 4: take place. It's absolutely the right of the government to
• 11:59
  Speaker 4: negoiate and it is the right of the unions to
• 12:02
  Speaker 4: take action. But I was surprised at the jump to
• 12:06
  Speaker 4: take this action. One could question the timing around it,
• 12:09
  Speaker 4: but well.
• 12:10
  Speaker 2: Do you reckon the timing is what's happened.
• 12:12
  Speaker 4: Well, it's interesting that there's a by election on Saturday, Katie.
• 12:15
  Speaker 4: But from my perspective, our teachers, they were some of
• 12:18
  Speaker 4: the highest paid in the country.
• 12:20
  Speaker 3: We absolutely acknowledge.
• 12:21
  Speaker 4: And what you see is the EBAs in other states
• 12:23
  Speaker 4: take place and or states and territories leap for us.
• 12:27
  Speaker 4: But we are negotiating in good faith around this EBA
• 12:31
  Speaker 4: with our teachers.
• 12:32
  Speaker 3: We absolutely value the work they do.
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: You reckon that the unions have time this strike on
• 12:36
  Speaker 1: Friday because of the by election on the weekend.
• 12:38
  Speaker 4: That would be a question for the unions, Katie, But
• 12:40
  Speaker 4: I'm surprised that we've gone from zero to a strike action.
• 12:45
  Speaker 4: We have the right and we are negotiating in good faith,
• 12:48
  Speaker 4: but the union has the right to take that action.
• 12:50
  Speaker 4: So we certainly will make sure our schools are supported.
• 12:53
  Speaker 2: Kid's going to be able to go to school on Friday.
• 12:55
  Speaker 3: Yeah, Katie.
• 12:56
  Speaker 4: So schools do remain open, but there will be changes
• 12:59
  Speaker 4: to the timetables and each principle will work through that
• 13:02
  Speaker 4: with their.
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: School, all right, So schools will remain open. I mean,
• 13:06
  Speaker 1: are we in a situation here where you know, the
• 13:09
  Speaker 1: government needs to relook at that freeze that you've got
• 13:12
  Speaker 1: on public service wayges here? Now, I'm the last person
• 13:15
  Speaker 1: to say that I think that any government or anyone
• 13:17
  Speaker 1: should be held to ransom by unions.
• 13:20
  Speaker 2: I do not think that that's appropriate.
• 13:21
  Speaker 1: But when you actually look at the CPI, the cost
• 13:24
  Speaker 1: of living in the Northern Territory, are we in a
• 13:27
  Speaker 1: situation here where you need to get moving on relooking
• 13:31
  Speaker 1: at that pay freeze?
• 13:32
  Speaker 3: Yes, Katie.
• 13:32
  Speaker 4: So when I became Chief Minister a couple of months ago,
• 13:35
  Speaker 4: we started to see that inflation rise quickly, the cost
• 13:38
  Speaker 4: of living pressures and I absolutely hear that each and
• 13:41
  Speaker 4: every day across the Northern Territory. So we certainly have
• 13:44
  Speaker 4: a responsibility to manage the Northern Territory government budget. But
• 13:47
  Speaker 4: at the same time, I think we've seen some unprecedented
• 13:50
  Speaker 4: global factors that have driven cost of living. I'm very
• 13:53
  Speaker 4: conscious of that. The interest rates that have jumped up
• 13:55
  Speaker 4: incredibly quickly. Even the RBA was not expecting them to
• 13:59
  Speaker 4: rise till only twenty four So there has been factors,
• 14:01
  Speaker 4: so where we certainly are working through in terms of
• 14:05
  Speaker 4: our government and our responsibilities fiscally, but at the same
• 14:08
  Speaker 4: time acknowledging that the cost of living pressures are huge
• 14:11
  Speaker 4: on territorians, how soon could this be reviewed? So Katie,
• 14:14
  Speaker 4: we've got to work through these things methodically. We've got
• 14:17
  Speaker 4: to make sure that we get the right advice. But
• 14:19
  Speaker 4: I can tell Territorians that are listening that we're very conscious,
• 14:22
  Speaker 4: not only for those that work in government, but across
• 14:24
  Speaker 4: the board of the cost of living pressures. I mean,
• 14:27
  Speaker 4: it does feel like you go to the supermarket, Katie.
• 14:29
  Speaker 4: I was doing the groceries yesterday and you know fruit
• 14:31
  Speaker 4: that was three and four dollars went to five and six.
• 14:34
  Speaker 4: It's now you know, seven dollars, and you know it
• 14:36
  Speaker 4: is really difficult. You do think twice before you put
• 14:39
  Speaker 4: things in the trolley.
• 14:39
  Speaker 2: So I mean, could we see a change here within.
• 14:42
  Speaker 4: Weeks, Katie. We just need to work through this with
• 14:45
  Speaker 4: our officials. But what I can say is that we
• 14:47
  Speaker 4: will negotiate across the board with government EBAs in good
• 14:50
  Speaker 4: faith and recognize the hard work that those frontline workers do,
• 14:54
  Speaker 4: whether they're corrections offices, whether they're our fires or our teachers.
• 14:57
  Speaker 2: Well, because I understand that the fieries as well.
• 14:59
  Speaker 1: We're in a situation today where the Humpty Dow fire
• 15:01
  Speaker 1: station is closed because they're not actually able to have
• 15:05
  Speaker 1: their firefighters in there.
• 15:07
  Speaker 4: I understand that they've had a high number of fieries
• 15:09
  Speaker 4: call in unwell, so we do see this from time
• 15:12
  Speaker 4: to time. We have had flu waves, COVID waves. I'm
• 15:14
  Speaker 4: not advised that there's any COVID case numbers jumping up,
• 15:18
  Speaker 4: you know, but we certainly have to make day to
• 15:20
  Speaker 4: day operations and fires. Can the fire service can speak
• 15:23
  Speaker 4: to that light.
• 15:23
  Speaker 1: I'm very mindful of time, but I want to ask
• 15:25
  Speaker 1: you about a couple of things very quickly. Over the weekend,
• 15:28
  Speaker 1: the IKAC Commissioner issued a statement saying that he and
• 15:31
  Speaker 1: the Ombudsman have determined to jointly investigate the extent of
• 15:35
  Speaker 1: non compliance into more than three hundred buildings owned or
• 15:39
  Speaker 1: least by the Northern Territory Government which do not comply
• 15:42
  Speaker 1: with occupancy certification requirements under the Building Act, and well
• 15:47
  Speaker 1: why and how this has occurred Now, I think first
• 15:50
  Speaker 1: and foremost, these occupancy certificates obviously deemer building to be
• 15:55
  Speaker 1: compliant to the Australian standards of the day. Any other
• 15:59
  Speaker 1: building or homes have these or we simply can't occupy
• 16:02
  Speaker 1: them privately. So I think the question on everyone's lips
• 16:06
  Speaker 1: that everybody wants answered this morning.
• 16:07
  Speaker 2: Is are they safe?
• 16:09
  Speaker 4: So, Katie, for your listeners, in June, the Anti government
• 16:11
  Speaker 4: establish the Building Compliance Task Force and the advice I
• 16:14
  Speaker 4: have is yes, these are historical, some of them going.
• 16:17
  Speaker 3: Back thirty and forty years.
• 16:18
  Speaker 4: The why, I think is the question that needs to
• 16:20
  Speaker 4: be answered, and you'll see that joint investigation with IKAK
• 16:23
  Speaker 4: and the Ombudsman. But the advice I've got is that
• 16:25
  Speaker 4: the buildings are safe. This is around procedure, but it
• 16:28
  Speaker 4: certainly needs to be looked into. Any of them schools, Katie,
• 16:31
  Speaker 4: I don't know the list of them. I'm happy to
• 16:34
  Speaker 4: go away and ask that question. But to my understanding
• 16:37
  Speaker 4: is it's wide ranging over thirty and forty years, and
• 16:40
  Speaker 4: so government established that task force. The first step was
• 16:43
  Speaker 4: to identify are they safe, but also working through how
• 16:46
  Speaker 4: can they get their compliance?
• 16:47
  Speaker 1: Look, I know that people will be listening who are
• 16:49
  Speaker 1: in the private sector and thinking to themselves, how on
• 16:52
  Speaker 1: earth can the Northern Territory government buildings be allowed to
• 16:54
  Speaker 1: still be occupied, you know, when we have to go
• 16:57
  Speaker 1: through the certification process to ensure that everything's up to
• 17:01
  Speaker 1: the standard that it needs to be. So why is
• 17:02
  Speaker 1: there a rule for one and not others?
• 17:04
  Speaker 3: I don't know necessarily, Katie.
• 17:06
  Speaker 4: If it's a rule for one and rule for others,
• 17:07
  Speaker 4: I think it is important that we look historically what happened,
• 17:10
  Speaker 4: and you know is their buildings in the private sector
• 17:12
  Speaker 4: that we also need to make sure are encompassed. And
• 17:15
  Speaker 4: I think it's around providing a pathway forward that they
• 17:17
  Speaker 4: can get those compliance certificates. But the advice I've got
• 17:20
  Speaker 4: is that they are safe, all.
• 17:21
  Speaker 1: Right, Chief Finister. Lastly, this morning, these petrol prices. People
• 17:25
  Speaker 1: have had enough. They are absolutely fed up about the
• 17:29
  Speaker 1: fact that we're not seeing a lot of movement at
• 17:31
  Speaker 1: the Bowser.
• 17:32
  Speaker 2: I'll just take you through them.
• 17:33
  Speaker 1: Today at the terminal Gate fear unlettered, it's a dollar
• 17:37
  Speaker 1: fifty three point nine. Now on Tuesday last week it
• 17:40
  Speaker 1: was a dollar fifty nine point six. So you can
• 17:42
  Speaker 1: see that that it's come down. That's, you know, that's
• 17:45
  Speaker 1: just in the last couple of days. Now at the
• 17:47
  Speaker 1: Bowser there's been a little bit of movement, but not much.
• 17:51
  Speaker 1: The average today is around a dollar ninety two, a
• 17:55
  Speaker 1: dollar ninety three. Some locations are still at a dollar
• 17:58
  Speaker 1: ninety five. You are talking about minute. You know, it
• 18:02
  Speaker 1: changes when it comes to the petrol prices at the Bowser.
• 18:05
  Speaker 1: Similar situation with your diesel prices today.
• 18:09
  Speaker 2: Now, Chief Minister.
• 18:10
  Speaker 1: The last time we spoke, you said that you were
• 18:12
  Speaker 1: going to be writing to these petrol companies. Have you
• 18:15
  Speaker 1: done that, yes, Katie, I wrote to them that week
• 18:18
  Speaker 1: that we spoke.
• 18:18
  Speaker 3: I also wrote to the.
• 18:19
  Speaker 4: A Triple C to ensure that they were aware of
• 18:23
  Speaker 4: these discrepancies. Because what we're seeing is that terminal gate
• 18:26
  Speaker 4: price come down, but I don't believe it's being passed
• 18:28
  Speaker 4: on to territories. At the Bowser, and I think it's
• 18:30
  Speaker 4: really important because the A Triple C do provide a
• 18:33
  Speaker 4: crucial role in this space. But it is frustrating because
• 18:36
  Speaker 4: we see that price come down six cents there, but
• 18:38
  Speaker 4: we're not seeing it come across in the retail. So
• 18:41
  Speaker 4: I've written to the retail outlets as well as the
• 18:43
  Speaker 4: A Triple C around this, and we'll continue to make
• 18:45
  Speaker 4: sure that we leave no stones unturned in this space.
• 18:48
  Speaker 1: Well, even like when you look at the diesel today,
• 18:51
  Speaker 1: so your terminal gates are dollars seventy six point six
• 18:55
  Speaker 1: at the Bowser the average is two dollars fifteen. I
• 19:00
  Speaker 1: think a lot of people are wondering why you're not
• 19:02
  Speaker 1: angrier about this, Oh, Katie.
• 19:04
  Speaker 4: It absolutely is frustrating me and upsets me that Territorians
• 19:08
  Speaker 4: are essentially being ripped off and we're not fools. I
• 19:11
  Speaker 4: mean that diesel discrepancy that's huge, that's you know, and
• 19:15
  Speaker 4: sometimes they say it's a little bit of lag because
• 19:17
  Speaker 4: they've purchased at a certain price, but this is beyond that.
• 19:19
  Speaker 4: We've seen the prices dropping and we know that they're
• 19:22
  Speaker 4: at record highs because of factors out of Australia's control.
• 19:25
  Speaker 4: In some cases. But hriple C have got important role
• 19:28
  Speaker 4: to play and we've certainly made sure that they're aware.
• 19:31
  Speaker 1: You've got the abilities though as well, and the Northern
• 19:33
  Speaker 1: Territory government have got the ability here to not only
• 19:35
  Speaker 1: you know, put your foot down and say to them
• 19:37
  Speaker 1: you you know, you need to explain to us these discrepancies,
• 19:40
  Speaker 1: but also you know, to force them to disclose their profits. Yeah.
• 19:45
  Speaker 4: So Katie, we've got the work that we have done
• 19:47
  Speaker 4: is we've got that mandatory fuel reporting scheme which does
• 19:49
  Speaker 4: help you know, Territorians at least understand and they can
• 19:53
  Speaker 4: vote with their feet. But yes, certainly we expect transparency
• 19:56
  Speaker 4: from our fuel operators and that's what we've asked of them.
• 19:59
  Speaker 1: All right, we are going to have to leave it
• 20:00
  Speaker 1: their chief Minister, Natasha Files, thank you for your time
• 20:02
  Speaker 1: this morning.
• 20:03
  Speaker 3: Thanks Katie,