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

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: The opposition leader Leofanocchiaro joins me in the studio.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning to you, Leo, Good morning Katie, and good
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: morning to your listeners.
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  Speaker 1: Now, Leah Fursley, some really sad news yesterday with the
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  Speaker 1: passing of former Deputy Chief Minister and Treasurer and long
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  Speaker 1: term Member for Catherine, Mike Read. We know that he
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  Speaker 1: was first elected in March nineteen eighty seven. He served
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  Speaker 1: as the Country Liberal Party Member for Catherine in the
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  Speaker 1: Legislative Assembly for sixteen years, retiring in two thousand and three.
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  Speaker 1: No doubt a real territory leader lost yesterday.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, very very sad news and it comes as a
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  Speaker 2: huge shock to territorians who you undoubtedly remember Mike's contribution
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  Speaker 2: to the territory of a very very long period of time.
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  Speaker 2: He was excuse me, he was a Deputy Chief Minister
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  Speaker 2: for a very long time and an exemplary treasurer. He
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  Speaker 2: was known for his tireless and fearless advocacy for the territory.
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  Speaker 2: He certainly didn't take any Yeah, he didn't let Canberra
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  Speaker 2: bus us around or anything like that. You know, you
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  Speaker 2: know that the territory had a strong voice when it
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  Speaker 2: came to Mike read and he served the people of
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  Speaker 2: Catherine very very well for those sixteen years and of
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  Speaker 2: course his legacy will be left left behind and always
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  Speaker 2: we will remember him for what he did. And you
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  Speaker 2: know he was involved in some very important matters like
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  Speaker 2: the floods in Catherine on that Australia day Long weekend
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  Speaker 2: and of course when the East Team will conflict broke out,
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  Speaker 2: so very sad and the outpouring of support for Mike
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  Speaker 2: and his family. Of course, our thoughts are with Anne
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  Speaker 2: and the family at this just devastating time.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, lots of love to his family at this very
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  Speaker 1: difficult time.
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  Speaker 3: Leah.
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  Speaker 1: Moving along, we do know a that last week you
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  Speaker 1: were incredibly fired up on the show about the Alice
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  Speaker 1: Springs quarantine situation. Now, yesterday we learned just how much
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  Speaker 1: the flight cost to charter from Alice Springs to Darwin
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  Speaker 1: and back. Take a listen to what the Health minister.
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  Speaker 1: Let me just find the audio for you actually and
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  Speaker 1: take a listen to what the Health Minister had to
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  Speaker 1: say to us yesterday on the show.
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  Speaker 4: A flight to bring people from Alan Springs to Daan
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  Speaker 4: was approximately forty thousand dollars. And then I've been advised
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  Speaker 4: that around thirty thousand dollars were spent in repatriating people
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  Speaker 4: back down to that Alice Springs facility.
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  Speaker 1: So over seventy thousand dollars for that charter flash.
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  Speaker 3: Is that acceptable in your eyes?
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  Speaker 2: I think it just reinforces what a terrible debarcle that
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  Speaker 2: whole experience was for Territorians last week. I mean, we
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  Speaker 2: saw people coming to the territory having to go into quarantine,
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  Speaker 2: quarantine not being at capacity, the Gunner government having no
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  Speaker 2: contingency plans to fit those people into mandatory quarantine, some
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  Speaker 2: people being quarantined at home, some people being sent to
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  Speaker 2: the airport and put on this obviously very expensive flight
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  Speaker 2: to Darwin, only to be turned around and sent back
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  Speaker 2: you know, the next day. It just highlights the gross
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  Speaker 2: incompetence that we saw last week, and I certainly hope
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  Speaker 2: the Gunner government have learned its lessons so that Territorians
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  Speaker 2: don't have to shoulder costs like this into the future,
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  Speaker 2: and that we can have confidence that our hotspot management
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  Speaker 2: is going to be effective.
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  Speaker 1: Lea, the Health minicin Natasha Files told us on the
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  Speaker 1: week that was last week they will make sure that
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  Speaker 1: they have got agreements in place with those hotels.
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  Speaker 2: Now is that good enough? Well, I certainly hope. So,
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  Speaker 2: I mean, we have to take the government on their word,
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  Speaker 2: don't we. I mean, at the same time, during that
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  Speaker 2: conversation last Friday, it was mentioned the cost of having
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  Speaker 2: those arrangements in place, and so you know, but if
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  Speaker 2: the government's going to have a hot spot policy where
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  Speaker 2: people must be in mandatory quarantine, it's got to be
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  Speaker 2: able to deliver on that. And of course what we
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  Speaker 2: saw was people who were sent to Doe and have
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  Speaker 2: to quarantine at how It Springs, but people in Alice
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  Speaker 2: Springs some were permitted to quarantine at home. So the
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  Speaker 2: government's got to make a decision around whether or not
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  Speaker 2: it can actually manage what it's saying it wants to do.
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  Speaker 2: But certainly we can't have another chaotic instance like that.
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  Speaker 2: It was very distressing for people in Alice Springs. It
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  Speaker 2: was very confusing, and it just it doesn't give confidence
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  Speaker 2: to something that we need to have the out most
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  Speaker 2: confidence in our government over.
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  Speaker 3: Now, Leah.
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  Speaker 1: One of the things that the government continuously sees when
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  Speaker 1: you speak about anything really to do with COVID, they
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  Speaker 1: say that you've got no credibility in this space because
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  Speaker 1: you wanted to open the borders, and then of course
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  Speaker 1: we saw the situation which unfolded in Victoria. Now, I mean,
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  Speaker 1: do you have credibility when you talk about COVID?
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  Speaker 2: Of course, Katie, and this is just political nonsense from
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  Speaker 2: the Gunner government. We saw it come to light during
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  Speaker 2: the election campaign. I think Territorians understand that at that
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  Speaker 2: time when many people were calling for borders to be reopened,
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  Speaker 2: there was very, very minimal COVID at that time. Of course,
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  Speaker 2: a few weeks later we saw the outbreak in Victoria.
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  Speaker 2: To say that the health advice wouldn't have been followed
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  Speaker 2: is an absolute nonsense. Of course, Hotspot and all those
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  Speaker 2: other management techniques that we deploy now would have been deployed.
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  Speaker 2: So it's a political weapon that they use to cover
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  Speaker 2: up their own inadequacy. And I will continue knew to
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  Speaker 2: advocate for what Territorians expect and what Territorians want. That
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  Speaker 2: is my role as the opposition leader. And the Gunner
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  Speaker 2: government last week showed it can't own up to its mistakes.
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  Speaker 2: It handled that hotspot management appallingly and instead of taking
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  Speaker 2: responsibility and assuring Territorians they'd learned their lesson, they decided
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  Speaker 2: to blame the hotel industry, so appalling. They can point
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  Speaker 2: the finger wherever they want, but it sits at their feet.
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  Speaker 3: Leah.
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  Speaker 1: One issue that I do want to talk about, which
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  Speaker 1: is quite unbelievable. We know the Northern Territory News is
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  Speaker 1: reporting that police officers in Darwin have been asked not
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  Speaker 1: to tell the public when they're the only ones on
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  Speaker 1: Judy is the four struggles to cope with staffing restraints. Now,
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  Speaker 1: the Northern Territory News obtained an email which was sent
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  Speaker 1: out to officers by superintendent on Friday outlining how recent
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  Speaker 1: rosters have been affected by staffing restraints. You are, of course,
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  Speaker 1: the opposition spokesperson for police.
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  Speaker 3: Is this acceptable in your eyes?
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  Speaker 2: I think it just highlights how much pressure police are
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  Speaker 2: under and it's not okay for the Police Minister continuously
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  Speaker 2: come out and say police are being resourced more than
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  Speaker 2: ever before. We've got more police than ever before. Of
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  Speaker 2: course we do, because every year the police budget increases
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  Speaker 2: and hopefully our police numbers increase. That in and of
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  Speaker 2: itself is not a measure of success. We know that
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  Speaker 2: crime is a huge issue right across the territory. Alice
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  Speaker 2: Springs is at breaking point. We've seen you know, community
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  Speaker 2: meetings in the rural area in the Northern suburbs. Things
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  Speaker 2: are out of control. Police are out there every day
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  Speaker 2: doing the best job they can. We've got you know,
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  Speaker 2: one hundred police on our borders having to fulfill our
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  Speaker 2: COVID obligations, which of course is very important. And because
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  Speaker 2: we haven't had continuous police recruitment over the term of
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  Speaker 2: the Gunner government, we've now got serious issues. I mean,
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  Speaker 2: remote policing is a big issue, policing in our urban
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  Speaker 2: areas and you know, for the government to pretend like
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  Speaker 2: everything is rosy, it's not acceptable anymore. Our police are
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  Speaker 2: under strained.
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  Speaker 1: And I want to go into that a little bit
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  Speaker 1: further because in this email, which the Northern Territory News
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  Speaker 1: has obviously published, it says the email that if there
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  Speaker 1: are times where staffing for two vans cannot be achieved,
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  Speaker 1: it asks that police don't stress about jobs on hold,
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  Speaker 1: do the task you're dispatched to and ensure the minimum
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  Speaker 1: response is achieved.
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  Speaker 3: Yes, you will probably go.
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  Speaker 1: From one job to the next, but remember some days
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  Speaker 1: are busy and some are relaxed. It's not every single
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  Speaker 1: shift that we're flat out remember to ask comms for
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  Speaker 1: your meal breaks so they remember it and recorded that
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  Speaker 1: you've asked for it where it is declined, so that
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  Speaker 1: that's recorded too. I mean, look, I think you've hit
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  Speaker 1: the nail on the head by saying that. Obviously our
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  Speaker 1: police force is stressed. There is no doubt about that.
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  Speaker 1: You know, they're being pulled in so many different directions
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  Speaker 1: at the moment. And what I worry about, and I've
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  Speaker 1: been banging on about this for ages, is that the
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  Speaker 1: legislation that's in place, you know, for so many different areas,
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  Speaker 1: it requires additional police.
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  Speaker 3: It requires the police to manage that.
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  Speaker 1: We've got to get smarter in the way that we're
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  Speaker 1: dealing with different things so that every responsibility doesn't fall
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  Speaker 1: at their faith.
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  Speaker 2: That's right, and we've seen the Gunner government just continue
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  Speaker 2: to pile responsibility upon responsibility on our police. You know,
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  Speaker 2: they haven't been supported by a government who's been able
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  Speaker 2: to get crime under control. Clearly that it's a huge issue.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, we've seen a response in Alice Springs with
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  Speaker 2: Operation VIPA to try and address the issue down there.
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  Speaker 2: But of course those police don't come out of thin air.
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  Speaker 2: They've come from somewhere else in the territory, which then
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  Speaker 2: puts additional pressure on those areas where the police have
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  Speaker 2: been pulled from. You know, we know that police. We
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  Speaker 2: certainly hear from the Police Association around the rostering system
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  Speaker 2: and making sure our police are getting adequate leave and
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  Speaker 2: adequate rest and respite from what has been a grueling year.
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  Speaker 2: You know, largely I suppose due to COVID, but also
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  Speaker 2: due to our crime response. So things are not okay,
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  Speaker 2: and you know it's territories and our police force who
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  Speaker 2: suffer as a result of that. And I think, Katie,
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  Speaker 2: what's really important is this actually comes back to managing
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  Speaker 2: our finances. Now, we talk about this huge eight point
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  Speaker 2: four billion dollar debt and it can seem sometimes too
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  Speaker 2: big to really comprehend, but this is a really clear
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  Speaker 2: example of where if a government doesn't manage its books
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  Speaker 2: properly and manage its finances, it can't deliver the services
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  Speaker 2: it needs to. And this is a classic example of that.
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  Speaker 3: ATLIA. I feel as though.
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  Speaker 1: We're getting to the point where the community is crying
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  Speaker 1: out again on some of these issues with crime. Now.
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  Speaker 1: Mark and teewee'z just messaged through and he said, good morning,
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  Speaker 1: Katie not sure if he saw TV news last type,
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  Speaker 1: but a woman in Nakara has had to move out
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  Speaker 1: after being broken into six times in a short period.
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  Speaker 1: If that's not bad enough, the Chief Minister, when asked
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  Speaker 1: about it, rambled on about crime hotspots moving around from
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  Speaker 1: area to area to make that as worse. They also
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  Speaker 1: reported that there's a seven week waiting time for victims
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  Speaker 1: of crime counseling. Now, that is not the only message,
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  Speaker 1: obviously that we've received about crime. I spoke to Tina
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  Speaker 1: yesterday who was in a situation where youths owned up
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: to her home after a bullying incident at school in
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  Speaker 1: Palmerston and they jumped out. They tried to get into
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  Speaker 1: her home while they were at home. Maddie Hipworth also
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  Speaker 1: obviously reported on Monday while I was away about the
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  Speaker 1: issues being experienced in.
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  Speaker 3: The rural area at the moment. People are fed up. Now.
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  Speaker 1: I don't know what needs to change, but I know
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  Speaker 1: that we have been talking about this for such a
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  Speaker 1: long period of time and whatever is happening is not working.
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  Speaker 2: And what is it going to take for the Gunner
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  Speaker 2: government to realize that. I mean, in June we had
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  Speaker 2: this long list of promises, no doubt because of the
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  Speaker 2: election coming up of where the government was allegedly going
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  Speaker 2: to get tougher on crime and going to address issues
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  Speaker 2: with the revolving door of bail and going to address
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  Speaker 2: issues around ensuring that there are consequences for every offense.
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  Speaker 2: And yet we've seen nothing. You know, no legislation is
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  Speaker 2: yet to come forward. We hear promises of action, but
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  Speaker 2: no action actually on the ground, and you know, the
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  Speaker 2: time for talk is over. They've been in government for
• 11:01
  Speaker 2: four years. Do Territorians have to suffer another forum? The
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  Speaker 2: victims of crime example is a really important one, and
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  Speaker 2: again it comes back to managing your books. If you
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  Speaker 2: don't manage your books, you can't spend money on the
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  Speaker 2: things that really matter. And that's really coming home to
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  Speaker 2: roost now. But the people who suffer are Territorians. And
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  Speaker 2: just like the lady out in the car who's I
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  Speaker 2: think it was six times in three weeks she got
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  Speaker 2: broken into, she's moving suburbs. Many people are actually leaving
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  Speaker 2: the territory and we cannot address our population issues and
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  Speaker 2: grow our economy if we can't get Laura in order
• 11:36
  Speaker 2: under control. And people are leaving because they're afraid well.
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  Speaker 1: Opposition leader Lea Finocchiaro, we are going to have to
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  Speaker 1: leave it there. Good to catch up with you this morning.
• 11:44
  Speaker 1: Always appreciate your time. Thank you, Katie, thank you,