Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Planning Minister Eva Lawler is fast-tracking new suburbs in Palmerston to bolster economic growth

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Planning Minister Eva Lawler is fast-tracking new suburbs in Palmerston to bolster economic growth · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: Now, as I mentioned, planning for the development of two
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  Speaker 1: new suburbs around Palmerston is going to be fast tracked
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  Speaker 1: in the latest push to bolster the territories population and
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  Speaker 1: also economic growth. Now joining me on the line is
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  Speaker 1: the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure, Evil Laula. Good morning
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  Speaker 1: to your minister.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie.
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  Speaker 1: Not too sure what happened with our phones earlier, but
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  Speaker 1: glad we've got you now. Minister. We know that the
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  Speaker 1: development of these suburbs, it's been in the pipeline for
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  Speaker 1: a while. But why does the government feel that there
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  Speaker 1: needs to be fast tracking with these suburbs.
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  Speaker 2: Well, I mean we're seeing that nationally now when we're
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  Speaker 2: talking about cost of living pressures. So absolutely it's vitally
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  Speaker 2: important that we have a steady pipeline of new land
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  Speaker 2: releases and that's across the territory. It's not just in
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  Speaker 2: Holtsome kwany. So we need to be able to put
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  Speaker 2: that pressure downward pressure on rentals, so we need to
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  Speaker 2: see greater supply and it is a supply demand issue,
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  Speaker 2: so a good news story. Previously we've gone out into
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  Speaker 2: talked about the holts to Elizabeth River subregional land use Plan.
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  Speaker 2: That's the big overarching plan underneath that is the Greater
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  Speaker 2: Holts Area Plan, and that consultation is happening now. That
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  Speaker 2: consultation will it will identify areas for schools, for community
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  Speaker 2: purpose land. It's that finer grade of planning, so rural people,
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  Speaker 2: anybody can have a say on that. There's two lots
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  Speaker 2: of consultation, one at Howard Springs and one at Gateway
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  Speaker 2: and those dates are available on the Planning Commission's website.
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  Speaker 1: So Minister, how many houses or how many lots do
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  Speaker 1: we anticipate that there is going to be with Holts
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  Speaker 1: and Kwandy.
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  Speaker 2: So with Holts and Holts is the area that's closest
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  Speaker 2: to the Palmerston Regional Hospital. We're hoping to have seven
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  Speaker 2: hundred lots available by the end of this year, so
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  Speaker 2: really pushing to get those out as quickly as possible.
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  Speaker 2: The Kwandy area then and the further area out from
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  Speaker 2: Holtz there'll be about four and a half thousand lots,
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  Speaker 2: so all up close to five thousand lots and looking
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  Speaker 2: at a population of around fifteen thousand people into the future.
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  Speaker 2: So you know, we've been talking about Middle Arm, we're
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  Speaker 2: talking about arrows. There's a lot of work ahead in
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  Speaker 2: the territory, and we'd like to see territorians or people
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  Speaker 2: coming to the territory rather than Fifox workers and having
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  Speaker 2: homes in the territory. And so these suburbs will provide
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  Speaker 2: those opportunities.
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  Speaker 1: And so how soon do you anticipate you know that
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  Speaker 1: they could come online, because I guess you know right
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  Speaker 1: now we are saying that the cost of living is
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  Speaker 1: incredibly expensive. We know that, you know that it can
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  Speaker 1: be tough for people to find a home. I noticing site.
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  Speaker 1: This certainly don't happen overnight. But how soon are we anticipating, Yeah.
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  Speaker 2: So we're hoping that some of those seven hundred lots
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  Speaker 2: will be available by the end of this year. So
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  Speaker 2: really pushing those lots that are in the area closest
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  Speaker 2: to halts so that we can get them out as
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  Speaker 2: soon as possible. So our plans always fifty percent in field,
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  Speaker 2: fifty percent you know, greenfield, and so we're seeing some
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  Speaker 2: new greenfield sites. It's a coally pushing to get those released.
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  Speaker 2: And some of those areas in town, like the old
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  Speaker 2: Malac Caravan Park, those areas where there's some some new
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  Speaker 2: suburbs going in there. So hopefully we can see some
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  Speaker 2: new housing lots titled as soon as possible, land areas
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  Speaker 2: like North Crest of course, yeah right.
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  Speaker 1: So hopefully not just not just out there in Palmiston.
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  Speaker 1: You're thinking that the reality here is that we might
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  Speaker 1: be able to fast track some of that other land
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  Speaker 1: as well around the you know, around the northern suburbs
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  Speaker 1: or other spots, some blocks by the end of the year.
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  Speaker 2: So that was the work. So that was Dick Goyt
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  Speaker 2: did that Bringing the Land, the bringing Land to Market review,
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  Speaker 2: and so there are a whole lot of things that
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  Speaker 2: in that and these recommendations around how do we make
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  Speaker 2: sure that we you know the old saying, cut red tape,
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  Speaker 2: free things up and so there's some sometimes there's small
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  Speaker 2: things like place names or power and water connections, and
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  Speaker 2: so that review looked at all of those things and
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  Speaker 2: how can we make sure that we get land released
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  Speaker 2: land titled quicker because that's sometimes the issue we have
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  Speaker 2: the land we're actually getting titled land. So well, there's
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  Speaker 2: been a lot of work, there'll be there's a committee
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  Speaker 2: that oversees those recommendations and really pushing to have that because,
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  Speaker 2: as you say, the impact is, you know, open houses
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  Speaker 2: around rental seeing thirty people rock ups and you know
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  Speaker 2: that's not good.
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  Speaker 1: It's tough. Yeah. Well, Minister Bruce from Virginia has literally
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  Speaker 1: just been in contact with a Caesar draftsman and he
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  Speaker 1: said he's got customers who haven't got a title released
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  Speaker 1: so approved by planning authorities. But power and water seem
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  Speaker 1: to be holding things up. So is that the issue
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  Speaker 1: that you're talking about there?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, so there are times issues with power and water
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  Speaker 2: are as I said place names. There's a lot of
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  Speaker 2: what sometimes seen small issues, but they cause a big problem.
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  Speaker 2: So absolutely working to make sure and as it said,
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  Speaker 2: those recommendations have said and addressed those issues or identified
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  Speaker 2: those issues. There's an overarching steering committee around that that'll
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  Speaker 2: work and Dick Goyt will be the chair or is
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  Speaker 2: the chair of that to make sure that we can
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  Speaker 2: push through and sort out some of those things that
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  Speaker 2: are causing those headaches, such as those connection issues or
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  Speaker 2: some of those other ones that, as I said, se
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  Speaker 2: minor on the surface but actually cause big aches.
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  Speaker 1: I've got a question here from Chris from the DO.
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  Speaker 1: He's wondering, could you please ask the minister why we
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  Speaker 1: spend millions moving a prison to the outer areas only
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  Speaker 1: to develop around it with housing later on.
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  Speaker 2: Well, I mean, I think the probably the issue is
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  Speaker 2: more about making sure that we have where we needed
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  Speaker 2: to replace the prison, and we saw where Burmer, the
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  Speaker 2: previous prison was, but there's substantial land around there. So
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  Speaker 2: that that area around Holts and also Holts Correction Center
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  Speaker 2: and also where the Youth Justice facility is going, there
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  Speaker 2: is substantial land around that that work with the Holts
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  Speaker 2: to Elizabeth Subregional land Use plan also identified that the
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  Speaker 2: pine forest will stay, so that's a positive thing as well.
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  Speaker 2: So there is substantial land there. But we do want
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  Speaker 2: to do not do leap frog development. You need to
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  Speaker 2: infill and have land developed which is close to services.
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  Speaker 2: So we've got the hospital there, we've got the new
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  Speaker 2: fire station, you've got you know the rest of the
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  Speaker 2: shopping centers, the library at Palmeston, you can go back
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  Speaker 2: out to cool A Linga. So there's it is about
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  Speaker 2: making sure we infill those lands. But there's substantial land
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  Speaker 2: around that Holt Correction facility.
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  Speaker 1: Minister, where can people get some further information about this
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  Speaker 1: land relay? So I know there will be people listening
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  Speaker 1: this morning who are thinking this is great. This means
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  Speaker 1: that hopefully, you know, I'll be able to get a
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  Speaker 1: block of land and build my own home at some point.
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  Speaker 1: I mean even last week we've spoken to two master
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  Speaker 1: builders about you know, about the fact that for first
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  Speaker 1: time buyers these days in the territory, you know, you're
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  Speaker 1: not really able to go for a drive around at
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  Speaker 1: the moment and sort of think, all right, that block
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  Speaker 1: of land looks fantastic, like the perfect one for me
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  Speaker 1: to build my first home. So I know there'll be
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  Speaker 1: people listening this morning who are quite pleased to hear this.
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  Speaker 2: So, as I said, we're at the stage of doing
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  Speaker 2: that fine attuned find a grain planning and informations on
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  Speaker 2: the Anti Planning Commission website Anti Planning Commission, I think
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  Speaker 2: dot anti dot co, dot au. But you know that
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  Speaker 2: work needs to be done before developers. Then you know,
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  Speaker 2: we work out how we're going to develop and you
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  Speaker 2: know that land. So that's probably a little bit further off.
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  Speaker 2: But at this stage it is about people having a
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  Speaker 2: say around where school site should be, where community purpose
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  Speaker 2: because that's one I often get asked about, particularly multicultural
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  Speaker 2: sporting groups, saying we can't get any more land in Palmerston.
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  Speaker 2: You know there's no more community purpose land in Palmerston.
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  Speaker 2: We want to rugby fields or you know, we want
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  Speaker 2: a community hall and they're just an I work with
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  Speaker 2: counsel on that, but there just isn't the community purpose
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  Speaker 2: land available. So it will be making sure that there
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  Speaker 2: is some considerable community purpose land in that area as
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  Speaker 2: well for the future too, because that's what's happened in Palmerston,
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  Speaker 2: that community purpose land has all been snapped up now, Minister.
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  Speaker 1: One of the other issues I do want to ask
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  Speaker 1: you about this morning. We know we saw a situation
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  Speaker 1: on the weekend where leaked emails so that firefighters express
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  Speaker 1: concerns about a potential in their words, catastrophic safety risk
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  Speaker 1: at Marara Oval ahead of Saturday's AFL game in Darwin.
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  Speaker 1: The ABC reporting yesterday that in the days leading up
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  Speaker 1: to that match, a health and safety officer within the
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  Speaker 1: Northern Territory Fire and Rescue Service raised concerns about potentially
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  Speaker 1: inadequate water pressure and volumes at the venue in that
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  Speaker 1: correspondence which was leaked to the media. Minister, were you
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  Speaker 1: made aware of this and how big a worry is
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  Speaker 1: it for you?
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  Speaker 2: So my advice that I've always had around too, is
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  Speaker 2: that TiO is safe. This is a historical this is
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  Speaker 2: a legacy issue of that building not being certified. You know,
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  Speaker 2: there has been thirty years of people attending games at
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  Speaker 2: TiO Stadium. I'm the minister that's getting the absolutely closest
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  Speaker 2: to certifying that. You know, there have been fifteen ministers
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  Speaker 2: who probably have been in breach of the Act around
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  Speaker 2: not having that certified. So Dipple and their certifiers and
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  Speaker 2: their engineers, all of those companies are working with the
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  Speaker 2: Fire Service to make sure that we get to the
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  Speaker 2: stage where CIO can be certified. We've put a lot
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  Speaker 2: of money in the last five years into TiO is.
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  Speaker 2: It's thirty years old. You know, it is an old,
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  Speaker 2: an older facility, but we have done work around the
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  Speaker 2: fire systems, We've done work around the public amenities, making
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  Speaker 2: sure it has disability compliance. We've upgrade the roof as well.
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  Speaker 2: So we've put a significant investment into TiO. As I said,
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  Speaker 2: the advice that I continue to get is that it
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  Speaker 2: is safe. We will work with them, So those certifiers, engineers,
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  Speaker 2: Dipple will work with the Fire Service around any of
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  Speaker 2: those issues.
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  Speaker 1: So obviously, the ABC reported that the Deputy Chief Fire
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  Speaker 1: Officer subsequently approved and enhanced response for the AFL game,
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  Speaker 1: including the provision of a bulk water carrier which was
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  Speaker 1: stationed as I understand it near a booster outlet outside
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  Speaker 1: the stadium. But there obviously are some concerns here. I mean,
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  Speaker 1: if you've got firefighters saying that they are concerned, should
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  Speaker 1: we still be having these big games at the stadium
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  Speaker 1: if there are these worries around safety.
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  Speaker 2: We continue to get the expert advice, and the expert
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  Speaker 2: advice that had been provided was that the capacity and
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  Speaker 2: pressure were fine at Toio. The pumper truck that was
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  Speaker 2: the decision of the fire service. I wasn't at the
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  Speaker 2: football on the weekend, but I did see a pumper
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  Speaker 2: truck in some photos there. But that was a decision
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  Speaker 2: of the fire service. But you know, we have had
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  Speaker 2: games at TOIO for thirty years. It is managed very
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  Speaker 2: carefully around safety. Absolutely, the public safety is the number
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  Speaker 2: one issue at any event, at any sporting event. But
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  Speaker 2: this said, the advice that I have is that Toio
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  Speaker 2: is safe, but we will continue to work around making
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  Speaker 2: sure that we get it certified well.
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  Speaker 1: Evil Ala, the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure and various
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  Speaker 1: other portfolios. We appreciate your time this morning. Thanks very
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  Speaker 1: much for speaking with us.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you