Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / The new Chief Minister of the Northern Territory Natasha Fyleson says Nicole Manison is still the deputy CM...but with the caucus to meet again this week is a Labor reshuffle coming?

Transcript

The new Chief Minister of the Northern Territory Natasha Fyleson says Nicole Manison is still the deputy CM...but with the caucus to meet again this week is a Labor reshuffle coming? · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Now joining me on the line is the Chief Minister,
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Natasha Files.
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: Good morning, Good morning, Katie, Good morning listeners.
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: Well I've got to say, Filesy, I wasn't expecting to
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: be calling you the Chief Minister this time last week,
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: So congratulations on your appointment. You must have been pretty
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: pleased that the team backed you and voted you in.
• 0:20
  Speaker 2: Oh, thank you, Katie, and I really enjoyed the opportunity
• 0:22
  Speaker 2: to engage with your listeners. So those words do mean
• 0:25
  Speaker 2: a lot to me. You know, it was a big change,
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: and change doesn't come easily or naturally too humans. But
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: my focus is providing that stability and unity for Territorians
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: as we step through the next few weeks, for the
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: next few months and years. It's a vitally important time.
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: Now. We know that when these kinds of votes happen
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: very often there are deals done. Were there deals made
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: to get the support of your colleagues.
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: So, Katie, on Friday, our caucus team unanimously asked me
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: to be the new leader of the Labor Pipe.
• 0:59
  Speaker 3: Sorry, are you're still there?
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: I'm still here, Katie. Can you hear me? Yeah?
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: I can hear you. So they asked you to be
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: the leader there were no deals.
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: Done, Absolutely not, Katie. For me, it was about putting
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: myself forward as my own individual and our team has
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: asked me to take on this important leadership role.
• 1:16
  Speaker 3: Now will it be?
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: I mean, what are we going to see here in
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: terms of the cabinet makeup? I know that you know
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: that that obviously you would anticipate that you're going to
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: need to appoint a deputy pretty soon.
• 1:28
  Speaker 3: Who have you got your eye on?
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: So, Katie, the position that was vacant last week was
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: vacated by Michael Gunner, was for the Chief minister's position,
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: and it has left another cabinet position vacant with my
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: elevation into that role. We have had cabinets of eight members,
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: we've had cabinets of nine members. But the makeup of
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: the new cabinets will be decided by Corcus, didn't you Court?
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: But so that deputy role, are you going to need
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: to have somebody from the left side of the party
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: or is it going to need to be somebody from the.
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: Right, Katie, Nicole Madison is the deputy Chief Minister. The
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: only position that was vacant last week was the role
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: of Chief Minister, which I've taken. But of course change
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: does you know, start some discussions. But Nicole has been
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: a fantastic Deputy Chief Minister. She's someone that I'm close to.
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: It won't come down to left or right factions. It'll
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: come down to what's best for territorians. I know that
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: the territory has been through some really tough times and
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: they want to see stability and unity from their government.
• 2:19
  Speaker 3: So is Nicole going to remain the Deputy Chief Minister?
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: Right now? Nicole Madison is the Deputy Chief Minister of
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: the Northern.
• 2:26
  Speaker 3: Territory and is it going to stay that way?
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: O Katie. We've got a parliamentary week ahead of it
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: as a busy schedule. As I just articulated, and I
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: won't go back over at the only position that became
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: vacant was that of Chief Minister. Of course, the team
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: will choose a new Cabinet minister and there'll be some
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: distribution of portfolios. But Nicole is the Deputy Chief Minister
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: of the Territory all right.
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: I guess a lot of people are wondering if she's
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: going to remain the Deputy Chief Minister of the Northern Territory,
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: whether Joel Bowden's going to be brought into the cabinet,
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: and some also speculating or asking.
• 2:56
  Speaker 3: If Nyrie, are Kid's going to stay on as a speaker.
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: But by the sounds of it, are You're not going
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: to give us those answers today?
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: No, Okatie, their questions for Corcus. We've got an incredibly
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: talented team. But our focus is the community. Our focus
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: is Territorians, not jobs for ourselves.
• 3:11
  Speaker 3: All right.
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: Well, there was some speculation over the weekend though that
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: some staff had already been moved out of the building
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: from the Chief Minister's office.
• 3:18
  Speaker 2: Is that the case, so, Katie, when you see a
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: change in the position of Chief Minister, you do see
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: change of staff. There's people that you know, it's a
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: difficult role, it's a time consuming role supporting the Chief Minister.
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: And so there has been some members of Michael's team
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: that have made this decision to step away at this time,
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: but the large majority of staff continuing on in their roles.
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: As I just said, we've got a busy week of
• 3:41
  Speaker 2: Parliament and a lot on our agenda.
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: I mean, how important is it though, for you to
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: have a clean start with your own staff and your
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: own team.
• 3:49
  Speaker 2: It's Okatie, I think that comes to the point, you know,
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: within the Chief Minister's office, but there is talented people
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: there and I want them to serve Territorians and to
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: do that they need to support me.
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: Now, just to interrupt, we are getting an absolute flurry
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: of messages at the moment from people saying that they're
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: unable to access our streaming service online. So I'm not
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: too sure exactly what is going on. But to those
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: out there listening this morning, we are just working to
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: try and get this issue sorted. I know there's a
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: lot of people wanting to hear from the newly elected
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: Chief Minister, Natasha Philes, so we will try to get
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: that sorted as quickly as possible. Now, Chief Minister, we
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: know that there are some serious issues of course around
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: the Northern Territory at the moment when it comes to
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: crime and.
• 4:31
  Speaker 3: Anti social behavior.
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  Speaker 1: How important is it and how important are these issues
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: for you and trying to make some inroads now that
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: you're the.
• 4:40
  Speaker 2: Chief Katie, They're really important. The territory is my home,
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: it is my community and when we see crime and
• 4:47
  Speaker 2: antisocial behavior, it's an incredibly complex issue, but it impacts
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  Speaker 2: all of us and so police have been doing an
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: enormous job. We've got a number of non government organizations
• 4:55
  Speaker 2: that have been working in this space, but it absolutely
• 4:58
  Speaker 2: is a priority for me. It has been, but particularly
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: now that I'm the Chief Minister.
• 5:02
  Speaker 3: So what are your plans?
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  Speaker 1: Because I know that you know this is something that
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: you and I have spoken about on numerous occasions. Before
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: you became the Chief Minister, you were indeed having to
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: toe the line, I guess to some degree with the
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: plans that were in place under the former Chief Minister.
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: But are you going to be making some sweeping changes
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: because people have really had enough of the issues that
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: we're seeing right now.
• 5:25
  Speaker 2: Katie. That message you've certainly come true to me loud
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  Speaker 2: and clear, and we've spoken in great detail around the
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: longer term measures, but I can hear that the community
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: and the community expects and shorter term measures. We need
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: to be agile in our response so that we can
• 5:37
  Speaker 2: tackle these issues.
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: Would you consider I know that last week the COLP
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: put forward Parliamentary Select Committee to look into some of
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: these issues in this space. Is that something that you
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: will now reconsider, Katy?
• 5:52
  Speaker 2: I think people don't want to see a talk fest.
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  Speaker 2: They want to see action, and they want to see
• 5:55
  Speaker 2: action quickly and that's what I'm focused on.
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: So no need for another look into it. You actually
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: think that you're going to be able to sort this
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: issue without looking into it.
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  Speaker 2: I think getting out there listening to the community, making
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: sure that we engage constantly communicating and it's something that
• 6:11
  Speaker 2: changes on a daily and weekly basis, and we need
• 6:14
  Speaker 2: to make sure that those messages from the community can
• 6:17
  Speaker 2: get through to us in terms of our response with police,
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: with ngngos and policies, and that's what I'll be aiming
• 6:22
  Speaker 2: to achieve.
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: One of the other issues it has indeed been a
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  Speaker 1: big talking point in recent weeks, is morale within the
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: police force. People saying that it is very low at
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: this point in time. We've certainly been told that by
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: the Police Union. We know that attrition rate at the moment,
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: that attrition rate it's on track to reach eleven percent
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: this year.
• 6:43
  Speaker 3: Does that portfolio need a new minister?
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  Speaker 2: So, Katie, once the team decides who the new cabinet
• 6:50
  Speaker 2: minister will be, will take the time to look at
• 6:52
  Speaker 2: the distribution of portfolios and who's best place. We've got
• 6:56
  Speaker 2: a hard working team and in terms of police morale,
• 6:59
  Speaker 2: I've worked closely with police over the past two plus
• 7:01
  Speaker 2: years through COVID, and that in itself is part of
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  Speaker 2: the reason we've got people with fatigue. They've worked incredibly
• 7:08
  Speaker 2: complex operations out on borders, They've worked incredibly long hours.
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  Speaker 2: But I certainly hear from our police around how they're feeling.
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  Speaker 2: I think that we always see retention as an issue
• 7:19
  Speaker 2: because our police are amazing. The other states when they
• 7:21
  Speaker 2: go to recruit look towards our members, but we need
• 7:24
  Speaker 2: to make sure that they want to stay here in
• 7:26
  Speaker 2: the territory and how can we support them.
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: So is it potentially a portfolio that you'll take on yourself, Okatie.
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  Speaker 2: I've got a strong team, and I think that we
• 7:35
  Speaker 2: need to work through who the new member is. And
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  Speaker 2: I think that the important message I'm hearing from the
• 7:40
  Speaker 2: business community KT is they do want to see change.
• 7:42
  Speaker 2: They want to see me make my mark on this leadership.
• 7:45
  Speaker 2: But at the same time they want that stability and unity.
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  Speaker 2: They don't want to go back to chaos and divisions.
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  Speaker 2: So I'll work through all of that once we've got
• 7:51
  Speaker 2: that new cabinet member.
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  Speaker 1: One of the other criticisms that the Gunner government had
• 7:56
  Speaker 1: was that it was closed off, and those promises of
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  Speaker 1: being an open and transparent government back in twenty sixteen
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: had become quite laughable in a lot of ways. Will
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: a Files led government be any different, Katy.
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  Speaker 2: I think that we put in place some really good
• 8:12
  Speaker 2: measures an independent Commissioner against corruption. But I think that
• 8:15
  Speaker 2: being available to the community, but also speaking to the
• 8:17
  Speaker 2: media is important. And you know, and your listeners. No,
• 8:20
  Speaker 2: I've regularly made myself available and I'll be encouraging all
• 8:23
  Speaker 2: of my team to do so.
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: So you will be making yourself or you'll certainly be
• 8:28
  Speaker 1: making sure that your team is more available because honestly,
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: to be quite frank about it, you know, we'd all
• 8:33
  Speaker 1: dubbed you the Minister for Bad News because you were
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: the one that gets rolled out every time something bad happens.
• 8:38
  Speaker 1: So are some of the others going to step up
• 8:40
  Speaker 1: to some degree?
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  Speaker 2: Katy? We've got a wonderful team. And it's not just
• 8:44
  Speaker 2: our our cabinet members, it's our caucus members, people that
• 8:47
  Speaker 2: are part of the teritory labor government. And I think
• 8:49
  Speaker 2: that it's important that people do engage with the community,
• 8:52
  Speaker 2: and the media is a really important part of that.
• 8:54
  Speaker 2: So I'll certainly be providing the pathway for my team
• 8:58
  Speaker 2: to speak regularly with the media.
• 9:00
  Speaker 1: What about when it comes to business confidence again, I
• 9:03
  Speaker 1: know that that is something that we really need to
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: have in the territory at the moment, and certainly industry.
• 9:08
  Speaker 3: You have touched on the fact that you really.
• 9:10
  Speaker 1: Want to make sure that some of these major projects
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: get off the ground.
• 9:15
  Speaker 2: Katie. The budget shows that the territory economy is getting
• 9:18
  Speaker 2: strong and will continue to get stronger. But we need
• 9:20
  Speaker 2: to make sure that we lock in that new investment
• 9:23
  Speaker 2: as a number of major projects that are about to
• 9:24
  Speaker 2: get off the ground. Focus on those new industries because
• 9:28
  Speaker 2: all of this leads to jobs, Katie, within our community,
• 9:31
  Speaker 2: and then it has that flow and effect right through.
• 9:33
  Speaker 2: But the business community know me, Katie. I'm born and
• 9:35
  Speaker 2: bred here. I've been engaging with them for many years
• 9:38
  Speaker 2: and I will continue to do so.
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: Now, what about the environment, because I know that there
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: are some concerns from other industry groups, mining for example.
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: You know that some of your views when it comes
• 9:49
  Speaker 1: to the environment may be conflicting. I guess with them,
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: which you can expect to some degree with industries. You know,
• 9:56
  Speaker 1: with different industries and differing interests, we're going to see
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: your sort of handbreaking some of these industries.
• 10:04
  Speaker 2: So Katie, I think it comes back to that point
• 10:06
  Speaker 2: about stability for business. I think that in terms of
• 10:09
  Speaker 2: the environment, we need to make sure that we have
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: strong regulation that protects the environment. All territories want that
• 10:14
  Speaker 2: they want a future for our children, but they want
• 10:16
  Speaker 2: that stability and so we've done an enormous body of
• 10:19
  Speaker 2: work in this space and I will continue to ensure
• 10:22
  Speaker 2: that we have that stability for business as we step forward.
• 10:25
  Speaker 1: Now, I know that you are pressed for time, but
• 10:26
  Speaker 1: it was raised with me yesterday by somebody living in
• 10:29
  Speaker 1: your electorate. Are you still going to be able to,
• 10:31
  Speaker 1: you know, to look after the electorate in the same
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: way as what you have been able to over recent
• 10:36
  Speaker 1: years now that you're the chief Minister.
• 10:39
  Speaker 2: So Katie, everyone that knows me knows I'm very passionate
• 10:41
  Speaker 2: about Nightcliff, but I'm passionate about the territory and I
• 10:44
  Speaker 2: absolutely will ensure that my electorate is supported and that
• 10:48
  Speaker 2: I'm continuingly to be involved as I have been for
• 10:50
  Speaker 2: the past decade, whilst at the same time getting out
• 10:54
  Speaker 2: right across the territory.
• 10:55
  Speaker 1: Now also we've got a very important question, are we
• 10:58
  Speaker 1: going to be able to get somebody on for the
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: week that was every week, well.
• 11:03
  Speaker 2: Katie, I last the week that was I certainly at
• 11:05
  Speaker 2: times found it challenging, but you know, I think it
• 11:07
  Speaker 2: is important and you know, the listeners want to hear
• 11:10
  Speaker 2: us have those conversations. So I think you've seen some
• 11:12
  Speaker 2: of my team members that have been participating recently, and
• 11:16
  Speaker 2: so we'll certainly be working out a schedule in a
• 11:18
  Speaker 2: roster for you.
• 11:19
  Speaker 1: All right, So we will have somebody on hopefully most weeks.
• 11:22
  Speaker 2: Well, I can't guarantee it, but I certainly I am planning on.
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: That was our concern actually when we found out that
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: you had been elected as the Chief Minister, we thought, oh, oh,
• 11:30
  Speaker 1: what's going to happen.
• 11:31
  Speaker 3: We're not going to have somebody for the week that
• 11:33
  Speaker 3: was every Friday.
• 11:35
  Speaker 2: Katie. We know that your listeners and you know, talking
• 11:38
  Speaker 2: to you is talking to territories and that's vitally important
• 11:41
  Speaker 2: and that's what me and my team will be doing now.
• 11:43
  Speaker 1: Just finally, one from one of our listeners on the
• 11:47
  Speaker 1: pay freeze for our public servants, for some of our
• 11:49
  Speaker 1: public servants, is that something that you're going to be
• 11:52
  Speaker 1: looking at taking a closer look.
• 11:54
  Speaker 2: At so, Katie, the budget bottom line is sustainably stronger
• 11:58
  Speaker 2: that in the budget that was delivered last week, and
• 12:00
  Speaker 2: we need to balance. We need to ensure that going
• 12:03
  Speaker 2: forward that we do manage that balance. But we are
• 12:05
  Speaker 2: seeing higher owned source revenues, high GSP collections. So there's
• 12:10
  Speaker 2: no policy changes today, but certainly as we go forward,
• 12:14
  Speaker 2: if we can strengthen the Northern Territory economy, it does
• 12:16
  Speaker 2: allow us to be more flexible within our own budget.
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: All right, Catherine wants to know if you're going to
• 12:21
  Speaker 1: reverse the solar feed in tariff freebait.
• 12:25
  Speaker 2: I think I just answered the question, Katie, in the
• 12:27
  Speaker 2: sense that the policies are the same. We have a
• 12:29
  Speaker 2: strong plan, but we certainly will be open to listening
• 12:33
  Speaker 2: to territories as we go forward.
• 12:35
  Speaker 1: Red Dog wants to know do you prefer ham and
• 12:37
  Speaker 1: cheese or chicken and mayo or.
• 12:40
  Speaker 2: Chicken and mayo? Easily answer that, well, we are.
• 12:43
  Speaker 3: Going to have to leave it there.
• 12:45
  Speaker 1: We are inundated with messages this morning, most people upset
• 12:49
  Speaker 1: because for some reason our online streaming service isn't working.
• 12:53
  Speaker 1: But Chief minished Natasha files, we appreciate your time this morning.
• 12:56
  Speaker 1: I'm fascinated to see exactly what happens this week with
• 12:59
  Speaker 1: the Cab and how your team is made up. I
• 13:03
  Speaker 1: think I, like a lot of other Territorians, really hope
• 13:06
  Speaker 1: that this is a bit of a reset and that
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: we're going to see some positive change.
• 13:10
  Speaker 3: For the territory.
• 13:12
  Speaker 2: Thank you, Katie. The territory has a really bright feature
• 13:14
  Speaker 2: and I'm committed to driving that for all territories.
• 13:17
  Speaker 3: Natasha Philes, thank you for your time.