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Katie Woolf spoke with Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: You're listening to Mix one oh four point nine. Now,
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  Speaker 1: there is always a lot of information to get through
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  Speaker 1: when the budgets handed down, and that was certainly the
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  Speaker 1: case yesterday, but there may be more in the federal
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  Speaker 1: budget for Territorians and those living in regional Australia. Then
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  Speaker 1: we'd initially noticed the federal budget has committed two billion
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  Speaker 1: dollars to water infrastructure spending and workers who are prepared
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  Speaker 1: to go to regional Australia for at least six weeks
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  Speaker 1: could get a relocation payment. Now joining me on the
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  Speaker 1: line to talk more about this is the Deputy Prime
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  Speaker 1: Minister Michael McCormack.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning, Good morning Codie.
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  Speaker 3: Now, Deputy PM.
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  Speaker 1: As part of that two billion dollars for water infrastructure,
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  Speaker 1: what's been earmarked for the Northern Territory.
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  Speaker 2: Well, we'll be working with the Northern Territory government. Of
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  Speaker 2: course they bring forward their priority projects. We cannot build
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  Speaker 2: dam and water infrastructure without the states and territories working
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  Speaker 2: with them cooperatively and collaboratively. And look, I appreciate this
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  Speaker 2: being a Northern Territory election recently showed the fact that
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  Speaker 2: Labour won that election. I have reached out to Michael
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  Speaker 2: Gunner and congratulated him, and I was pleased to see
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  Speaker 2: that he's roundly welcomed the budget and what it meant
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  Speaker 2: for the Northern Territory. So you know, I'll work with
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  Speaker 2: evil Ala, we'll work together and make sure that for
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  Speaker 2: those infrastructure projects, whether it's water, whether it's roads, that
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  Speaker 2: we do it for the benefit of territories. Now I've
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  Speaker 2: spoken to leth and Okiera. She's delighted as well with
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  Speaker 2: the budget. So where we can identify collectively water infrastructure potential,
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  Speaker 2: then I'm happy to progress it. If it's if there's
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  Speaker 2: business cases already done, so much the better. If we
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  Speaker 2: can get shovels in the ground sooner, let's go. And
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  Speaker 2: I know the Northern Territory has a lot of water.
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  Speaker 2: I appreciate that it's got a lot of agricultural potential
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  Speaker 2: and resources too, and the mining industry of course it
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  Speaker 2: too needs a lot of water. So we want to
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  Speaker 2: make sure that they see iro identified areas for water
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  Speaker 2: in the top end fully explored and let's get it happening.
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  Speaker 2: As you say, two billion dollars on top of the
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  Speaker 2: one and a half billion dollars we've got the National
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  Speaker 2: Water Grid in place, it's been operating well. We've got
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  Speaker 2: Crystalinch heading up an eight person advisory panel and I'm
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  Speaker 2: pretty excited about this.
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  Speaker 1: How soon would you like some of that work to
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  Speaker 1: get underway here in the territory.
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  Speaker 2: How soon is tomorrow? I mean this is pretty important.
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  Speaker 2: So look, I'll be working with local stakeholders, working with
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  Speaker 2: the Government of the day to fast track this now.
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  Speaker 1: And I did note as well that there's also been
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  Speaker 1: an allocation of seventeen point four million dollars over two years.
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  Speaker 1: It is for relocation assistance, so basically, with a forecast
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  Speaker 1: labor shortage in the farming sector, it will no doubt
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  Speaker 1: be a welcome announcement. But is this all about trying
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  Speaker 1: to get people to move to regional Australia.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, totally. I mean there are forty five six hundred
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  Speaker 2: jobs in regional Australia, Northern terror included, as identified by
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  Speaker 2: the Regional Australia Institute. We want those positions filled. We
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  Speaker 2: want people to come from the capital cities to go
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  Speaker 2: to regional areas. And there are good jobs not just
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  Speaker 2: in resources, not just in agriculture, but in so many
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  Speaker 2: areas of endeavor. And having been into the Northern Territory
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  Speaker 2: a number of times as a minister and certainly as
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  Speaker 2: Deputy Prime Minister, and just in recent times. You know,
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  Speaker 2: I see the potential, I see the number of jobs
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  Speaker 2: just just singing out. Fill me, you know, occupy my
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  Speaker 2: seat in this office. And you know, we want to
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  Speaker 2: make sure that those business people who've made the investment
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  Speaker 2: and made the commitment in the Northern Territory that they
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  Speaker 2: can get those positions filled.
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  Speaker 3: So how exactly will this work?
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  Speaker 1: As I understand that this money is going to be
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  Speaker 1: spent providing a one or free location rebate up to
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  Speaker 1: six grand for those workers prepared to go regional for
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  Speaker 1: at least well.
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  Speaker 3: I'm not sure what period of time and how are
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  Speaker 3: you sort of you know, how are you.
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  Speaker 2: Going to enter states around it? Of course, But ultimately
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  Speaker 2: at the end of the day, we want to help
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  Speaker 2: people relocate and the Northern Territory. Yes, it's for some
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  Speaker 2: people who are say on the Eastern seaboard, that's it's
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  Speaker 2: a long way. It's a long way from where they're
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  Speaker 2: used to. It's a long way potentially from their home,
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  Speaker 2: making new home. You know, anybody who's gone to the
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  Speaker 2: Northern Territory, I bumped into them every time I go
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  Speaker 2: up there and they say, oh, yeah, I came here
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  Speaker 2: for three months in nineteen you know, seventy six and
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  Speaker 2: I'm still here. Well, I came here, you know, I
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  Speaker 2: came here in the nineteen eighties for a one year
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  Speaker 2: maternity leave appointment, you know, whatever the case might be.
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  Speaker 2: And I've stayed here for you know, I've met someone,
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  Speaker 2: I've fallen in love, I've raised a family. Why would
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  Speaker 2: you want to live anywhere else?
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  Speaker 1: Well, it happens so often, and I think that, you know,
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  Speaker 1: this is the whole thing. We see that our capital
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  Speaker 1: cities are obviously overflowing and you know there's not enough
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  Speaker 1: infrastructure in place in a lot of cases to actually
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  Speaker 1: deal with that. But then in regional parts of Australia,
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  Speaker 1: very often we're screaming out for people to fill jobs.
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  Speaker 3: Are we still close?
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  Speaker 2: We're investing in the Tiger, bread and dry. But let
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  Speaker 2: me tell you, if you are going from one side
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  Speaker 2: of the capital Darwin to the other for work, you're
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  Speaker 2: not going to be sitting in traffic for an hour
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  Speaker 2: and a half. Well, let's not if you live in Brisbane,
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  Speaker 2: Melbourne or Sydney.
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  Speaker 3: No, that's right, Deputy PM.
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  Speaker 1: Are we still in a situation though, where the likes
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  Speaker 1: of Gold Coast are being classed as regional, well, the.
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  Speaker 2: Gold Coast, yes, for some programs. Yes, And look, you
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  Speaker 2: have to look at the Gold Coast and say, it's
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  Speaker 2: been pretty hard hit. Has been pretty hard hit by
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  Speaker 2: Anastagia Palichet closing the borders and keeping them tightly closed
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  Speaker 2: for months, and that has really had an impact on
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  Speaker 2: their businesses, on their psyche, on their mental health.
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  Speaker 3: Oh, there's no doubt.
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  Speaker 1: But I guess to you know, to somebody sitting in
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  Speaker 1: Tenant Creek this morning or in Catherine, they would be thinking, well,
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  Speaker 1: regional's very different in.
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  Speaker 3: Those areas to what it is on the Gold Coast
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  Speaker 3: or in.
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  Speaker 2: Berlin some hinterland areas of the Gold Coast too. To
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  Speaker 2: be fair, there are there are some hintland areas. And
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  Speaker 2: I know I speak to Karen Andrews and Stuart Robert
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  Speaker 2: and Anjie Bill all the time about their issues around
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  Speaker 2: Gold Coasters, and yeah, I appreciate for some of those
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  Speaker 2: living in Tenner Kruk and Catherine and wherever else you
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  Speaker 2: mentioned in the top end, Yeah, they probably say, well, hey,
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  Speaker 2: they're not regional. We are. Look at us. You know,
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  Speaker 2: we've got we've got dust in our streets. They've got
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  Speaker 2: sand and surf and et cetera. But they are by
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  Speaker 2: and large also needing assistance at the moment. And that's
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  Speaker 2: what our budget does. It doesn't leave any Australian behind.
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  Speaker 2: It looks after all of those areas right across the nation.
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  Speaker 2: Metropolisan too, they're doing it tough. Look at the lockdowns
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  Speaker 2: in Melbourne. I have a daughter who teaches in Melbourne
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  Speaker 2: and being shut up for twenty three of twenty four
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  Speaker 2: hours a day in a small apartment, Well, it ain't
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  Speaker 2: nice doing it, and I'm away. She's kept her spirits
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  Speaker 2: up as well as she has.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah to be terrible, and we do.
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  Speaker 2: A classroom and it's all right for the year twelve.
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  Speaker 2: So they've got some you know, they've got a big
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  Speaker 2: future hitd of them. But for around a year seven,
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  Speaker 2: she tells me, it's sometimes a had more difficult in
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  Speaker 2: year seven.
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  Speaker 1: Absolutely, I reckon it'd be very tough, and we're certainly
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  Speaker 1: thinking of all those Aussies that are locked up now.
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  Speaker 1: I just want to move to another issue though, that
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  Speaker 1: we've been speaking about here in the territory and that
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  Speaker 1: is mango pickers. Now. Senator Sam McMahon has had a
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  Speaker 1: crack at the Chief Minister, accusing him of putting the
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  Speaker 1: Northern Territory's mango harvest in jeopardy by refusing to allow
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  Speaker 1: seasonal workers to quarantine on farms. The colp senator said
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  Speaker 1: the territory mango industry was at risk of having more
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  Speaker 1: than fifty million dollars of mangos left to rot on
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  Speaker 1: the ground due to that ongoing worker shortage. She's blamed
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  Speaker 1: the Northern Territory government for the crisis because she reckons
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  Speaker 1: they've refused to lift those quarantine restrictions for fruit pickers
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  Speaker 1: traveling from overseas and into state. She went on to
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  Speaker 1: say some of our NT mango producers have very good
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  Speaker 1: facilities that are suited for on farm quarantine.
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  Speaker 3: She went on to.
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  Speaker 1: Say this will allow these workers to harvest the crop
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  Speaker 1: while undergoing quarantine. Yet Michael Gunner is blocking this as
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  Speaker 1: an option. Isn't the arrival though of international workers a
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  Speaker 1: federal issue, Yes, but.
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  Speaker 2: The quarantine issues are very much also a state and
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  Speaker 2: territory based decision. So yes, I fully agree with Senator McMahon.
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  Speaker 2: She is a fierce and proud and fighting advocate for
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  Speaker 2: all things Northern Territorium, and on this she's right. And
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  Speaker 2: if we can put in place measures by which we
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  Speaker 2: can get seasonal workers in from areas which have been
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  Speaker 2: largely and relatively COVID free and certainly agreeing to those
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  Speaker 2: hot spot three by three issues, and we have those resolved,
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  Speaker 2: and we can ensure the integrity of the quarantine when
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  Speaker 2: they do arrive on farm, then why wouldn't you, for
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  Speaker 2: the sake of the economy, for the sake of those farmers,
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  Speaker 2: and for the sake of the best mangoes anywhere in
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  Speaker 2: the world, do that.
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  Speaker 3: So you reckon.
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  Speaker 1: The Chief Minister and the Government really need to change
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  Speaker 1: their minds on this. They should be allowing those farmers
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  Speaker 1: to have those fruit pickers stay on site.
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  Speaker 2: They can guarantee the integrity of their quarantining.
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  Speaker 1: Yes, okay, Now, just finally this morning, I do want
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  Speaker 1: to talk to you about the Northern Territories representation in
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  Speaker 1: Federal Parliament. It is looking as though this is going
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  Speaker 1: to come to a head. Barnaby Joyce Brogue ranks earlier
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  Speaker 1: this week supporting that Labor motion in Parliament. Now a
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  Speaker 1: bill which was before. Well it's now been delayed.
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  Speaker 2: As I understanding when you say I mean the nationals.
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  Speaker 2: I've had a statement back in August. I had an
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  Speaker 2: ob ed what's called an opinion piece in the Wonderful
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  Speaker 2: in two News, my favorite newspaper, extolling the virtues of
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  Speaker 2: more regional representation. Not less, I agree the Northern Territory
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  Speaker 2: should have two representatives in the House, two houses of representatives.
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  Speaker 2: People appreciate that at the moment they're both labor. When
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  Speaker 2: I was in Darwin, I caught up with both of them,
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  Speaker 2: had coffee. In fact, I had more than one coffee.
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  Speaker 2: And I understand that the regional representation is important. I
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  Speaker 2: come from the regions. I live in the regions. I
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  Speaker 2: live my life espousing the value and virtue of the regions.
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  Speaker 2: And I will go on doing that. And the Prime
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  Speaker 2: Minister knows my view on Northern Territory representation, and you
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  Speaker 2: know what the agrees. I mean. We still have to
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  Speaker 2: get the report back from the Joint Standing Committee on
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  Speaker 2: Electoral Matters about about the representation in all the church.
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  Speaker 2: What I'd like to see is the Northern Territory grow
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  Speaker 2: its populations such that you know, it doesn't even come
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  Speaker 2: into question, but we'll we'll put a bill forward that
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  Speaker 2: in Chores that there is to seat representation for the
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  Speaker 2: Northern territory because I'll tell you what, if I was
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  Speaker 2: living in Darwin, I would like to be trapes in
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  Speaker 2: backwards and forwards all the time in the car to
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  Speaker 2: Alice to Tenant Creek. You know you need to represent
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  Speaker 2: it is it's a massive, massive area. I mean, I
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  Speaker 2: know my electorate to six hours from top to bottom.
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  Speaker 2: I know how hard it is for me as just
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  Speaker 2: when I was a backbench member getting around my electric
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  Speaker 2: lett alone now as the Deputy Prime Minister and with
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  Speaker 2: ministerial responsibilities, but I know how Luke and Warren you know,
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  Speaker 2: they need to get out and more importantly, people need
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  Speaker 2: accessibility to them. They need to be able to when
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  Speaker 2: they want to see their member about an issue. They
• 11:35
  Speaker 2: need to have that face to face contact. And if
• 11:37
  Speaker 2: you're representing an area as large or larger than some
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  Speaker 2: European countries, makes it so much more difficult. So I'll
• 11:44
  Speaker 2: always be in there fighting hard for regional representation. Knows
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  Speaker 2: that Parliament knows that. I'm sure anybody who's read my
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  Speaker 2: thoughts and views in the int News or heard me
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  Speaker 2: on Northern Territory television or radio. Your wonderful program knows
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  Speaker 2: full well where I stand. And there will be, there
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  Speaker 2: will be. Here's the assurance, two seats for the Northern
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  Speaker 2: Territory going forward.
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  Speaker 1: You legend that is exactly what we want to hear.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, I think it's so very important to territorians.
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  Speaker 3: We want to make sure that there are those two representatives.
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  Speaker 2: And I tell you what, that'll be music to live
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  Speaker 2: with mcmhon's representation. She gets in there and she never
• 12:21
  Speaker 2: mind I mean labor. I've never heard Labor actually really
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  Speaker 2: arching up about regional representation. Let's just part there.
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  Speaker 1: Dearie McCarthy has Melandarry McCarthy has certainly been she has
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  Speaker 1: been really advocating.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, I'll concede and I'll agree, and good.
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  Speaker 1: People, you are fired up this morning, Deputy PM.
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  Speaker 3: And I tell you what.
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  Speaker 1: So you are guaranteeing that we will have those two
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  Speaker 1: House of Reps seats.
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  Speaker 3: We will maintain.
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  Speaker 2: Those underline it and put a couple of exclamation marks after.
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  Speaker 1: It, if you like. Excellent, I will be doing that well,
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  Speaker 1: Deputy Prime Minister. Michael McCormack always good to catch up
• 12:54
  Speaker 1: with you. We really appreciate your time today. Thank you,
• 12:57
  Speaker 1: have a great day you too.