Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Minister Eva Lawler discusses teacher strikes, Howard Springs Pool and Middle Arm development

Transcript

Minister Eva Lawler discusses teacher strikes, Howard Springs Pool and Middle Arm development · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: Well, there are certainly a lot of messages coming through
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: on the text line, lots of phone calls coming through
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: this morning as well. Eight nine four one one four nine.
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: Now joining me on the line right now is the
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: Minister for Education. She's also the Treasurer and Minister for Planning,
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: Infrastructure and Logistics, Evia Laula.
• 0:18
  Speaker 2: Good morning to you, minister.
• 0:20
  Speaker 3: Good morning Katie.
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: Now, Minister, there is a lot that I'm keen to
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: cover off on this morning. I do just want to
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: take you to very quickly. We got a phone call
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: about ten minutes ago from Chris, who lives out in Driver.
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: He and his wife's home got broken into yesterday afternoon,
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: two thirty in the afternoon. He got a notification you know,
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: on his phone that the security cameras that it installed
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: just weeks earlier after being broken into. Then we're going off,
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: someone's ripped the camera off the wall. He can then see,
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: you know, kids waiting outside the yard to take their
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: stolen goods. Minister, when do you think we're going to
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: see some change in this space when it comes to crime.
• 1:03
  Speaker 3: Oh, I know that sounds like a shocking story, horrific story,
• 1:06
  Speaker 3: and you know, my heart goes out to anybody that's
• 1:09
  Speaker 3: a victim of crime, and there is no easy answers.
• 1:12
  Speaker 3: I'm sure we've heard that from the police minister, we've
• 1:15
  Speaker 3: heard it from government. But yes, there is always work
• 1:18
  Speaker 3: to be done around crime in the Northern Territory, it's
• 1:21
  Speaker 3: absolutely But what that story is an absolutely shocking story, Katie.
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: Yeah, it's a shocker and he's you know, they've got
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: a little five year old and you know she's sleeping
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: in bed with them at the moment because she's already
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: scared from the last time they were broken into. Then
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: yesterday arevo you know the home's been ransacked.
• 1:39
  Speaker 3: Yeah, well hopefully the police are onto them. And as
• 1:43
  Speaker 3: I said, there then needs to be yeah, follow up
• 1:45
  Speaker 3: actions around those those because it sounds like from your
• 1:48
  Speaker 3: report that's the younger children, So yeah, what time of
• 1:53
  Speaker 3: the day, why aren't they at school? All of those
• 1:54
  Speaker 3: questions need to need to be answered and there's work
• 1:57
  Speaker 3: absolutely to be done to make sure those things don't happen. Yeah, shocking,
• 2:01
  Speaker 3: really there is.
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: And look I know that you aren't the Minister for Police.
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: We will certainly continue to talk about this and you know,
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: to try to get some answers. I know the police
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: are out there pretty quickly from what I can gather.
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: But yeah, you know you in the.
• 2:15
  Speaker 3: Education minister though, Katie and any if you know, that's
• 2:18
  Speaker 3: what concerns me. If it was during school time. You know,
• 2:21
  Speaker 3: we do have things in place to make sure all
• 2:23
  Speaker 3: kids are at school, and when they're not, I'm really
• 2:27
  Speaker 3: very strong about that, there needs to be strong action
• 2:30
  Speaker 3: to make sure that those kids are followed up that
• 2:32
  Speaker 3: they are in school because that's the best place for them.
• 2:34
  Speaker 3: Then we don't see these things happening, So I will
• 2:37
  Speaker 3: follow up and get the information from police about that
• 2:39
  Speaker 3: at the time and the ages.
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: And you do wonder that you know, we're the parental
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: responsibility as well. Then if the kids aren't going to school.
• 2:48
  Speaker 3: Yeah, it's just as you say, they've got a lifetime
• 2:50
  Speaker 3: ahead of them of things that aren't going to be good.
• 2:53
  Speaker 3: We know the value of education. So yeah, as I said, Katie,
• 2:56
  Speaker 3: it's a shocking situation. I'm very happy to follow that
• 2:59
  Speaker 3: one up.
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: Thank you. We would appreciate that.
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: Now, Minister, let's stay on the education path because we
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: know that obviously we've got teachers in Catherine who are
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: indeed striking today. It's a third round of strikes that
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: we've seen from teachers in recent weeks. Are we any
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: closer to reaching an agreement over this pay freeze?
• 3:17
  Speaker 3: Well, so the proposal that we've put up has gone
• 3:20
  Speaker 3: goes actually to vote on the sixteenth of September, So
• 3:23
  Speaker 3: there'll be an online voting on the sixth open from
• 3:26
  Speaker 3: the sixteenth to the twenty third of September, so that
• 3:29
  Speaker 3: is an opportunity for all teachers to have a say.
• 3:32
  Speaker 3: So the initial offer of the offer that we made,
• 3:35
  Speaker 3: which as you know, we thought was a very sound offer,
• 3:38
  Speaker 3: a very sensible offer that was knocked back by the
• 3:41
  Speaker 3: Australian Education Union executive. But now that proposal gets the
• 3:45
  Speaker 3: opportunity to go to all teachers across the Northern Territory,
• 3:49
  Speaker 3: not just the union executive. So there'll be information obviously
• 3:53
  Speaker 3: going out from the Commission of Public Employment around the
• 3:57
  Speaker 3: offer so that teachers can make an inform decision.
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: And so do you think that we could have a
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: situation here where the union maybe isn't giving all teachers
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: the full story.
• 4:08
  Speaker 3: Well, I mean that's how the unions work. I mean
• 4:10
  Speaker 3: obviously they talk to their members. They have an executive
• 4:13
  Speaker 3: that represents their members. So in the initial the initial
• 4:16
  Speaker 3: conversations around an EBA and the initial negotiations they're with
• 4:20
  Speaker 3: the with the Australian Education Union. They're obviously there. I
• 4:26
  Speaker 3: don't know the figures those aren't Those figures aren't disclosed
• 4:29
  Speaker 3: the number of people who are union members of who
• 4:31
  Speaker 3: who aren't union members that work as teachers or assistant teachers.
• 4:36
  Speaker 3: So that information will go to all teachers though, rather
• 4:40
  Speaker 3: than as I said, at the moment, it's been through
• 4:43
  Speaker 3: the union and targeted to their members.
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: Now I know that's in Catherine at that rally or
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: at that you know, at the strike that they're holding today.
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: They're really concerned about issues that they've got around housing.
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: What can be done in this space? There used to
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: obviously be an incentive offered or a subsidy offered to
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: teachers in areas like Catherine. Do you think we need
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: to go back down that pass?
• 5:06
  Speaker 3: Yeah, So a couple of things. First of all, the
• 5:08
  Speaker 3: housing subsidy isn't part of the EVA, so the subsidy
• 5:12
  Speaker 3: isn't part of those negotiations. That's something else around housing
• 5:16
  Speaker 3: subsidy for teachers. So there was the Department did a
• 5:19
  Speaker 3: review of the Catherine housing situation, and what they've come
• 5:24
  Speaker 3: up with is they have grandfathered. So if you were
• 5:27
  Speaker 3: a long term employee, if you're employeeing Catherine and you
• 5:31
  Speaker 3: were receiving the subsidy, that will be retained. But the
• 5:34
  Speaker 3: issue of housing in Catherine is a much broader issue.
• 5:37
  Speaker 3: It is about a housing shortage in Catherine and that's
• 5:39
  Speaker 3: the work that I'm doing with my infrastructure minister had
• 5:42
  Speaker 3: on so twenty Budget twenty twenty two put a lot
• 5:45
  Speaker 3: of money into new subdivisions. We know the story about
• 5:48
  Speaker 3: Holtz and Kowany in the Greater Darwin area, but then
• 5:51
  Speaker 3: also in Catherine. It's around the Caatherne East neighborhood center.
• 5:54
  Speaker 3: So if you're headed down to Catherine recently, you'll see
• 5:58
  Speaker 3: a lot of work down there on that way out
• 6:00
  Speaker 3: of town. So a whole new subdivision going in there.
• 6:03
  Speaker 3: So we need to have in Catherine more houses, more units,
• 6:06
  Speaker 3: you know, more apartments. A lot of teachers are younger.
• 6:11
  Speaker 3: You may not want a three bedroom house. It's expensive
• 6:14
  Speaker 3: to rent. How do we get more units into the
• 6:17
  Speaker 3: mixing Catherine. The other one that I did as a
• 6:19
  Speaker 3: Planning minister is we recently put through opportunities for people
• 6:26
  Speaker 3: who have larger blocks in that east side area which
• 6:29
  Speaker 3: is out of the flood zone, to be able to
• 6:30
  Speaker 3: subdivide their block, so it could be that they then
• 6:33
  Speaker 3: put in a granny flat there. So there is opportunities.
• 6:36
  Speaker 3: So you're very much aware of the broader issue of housing.
• 6:39
  Speaker 3: A housing shortage in Katherine. Catherine is absolutely booming, so
• 6:43
  Speaker 3: we do need to make sure there's more land, release
• 6:45
  Speaker 3: more opportunities for more units and apartments.
• 6:47
  Speaker 2: Minnester.
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: If there's not a subsidy though, for those teachers in Catherine,
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: and then obviously also facing that four year wage freeze,
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: how do we propose that we're going to entice teachers
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: to either stay in Catherine or to move moved to Catherine.
• 7:01
  Speaker 3: So at the moment, there are actually no vacancies in Catherine.
• 7:05
  Speaker 3: So you know, it is we talk about a shortage
• 7:08
  Speaker 3: of teachers, but there are all the positions in Catherine.
• 7:11
  Speaker 3: The information I have is that those how that those
• 7:14
  Speaker 3: positions are filled. But you know there are other incentives
• 7:18
  Speaker 3: around where you live, around study points, all of those
• 7:21
  Speaker 3: sorts of things that we have. But you know, Alice
• 7:24
  Speaker 3: Springs doesn't have a subsidy, Darwin doesn't have a subsidy.
• 7:27
  Speaker 3: Around teacher housing either. So those decisions were made a
• 7:30
  Speaker 3: number of years ago around those the teacher the subsidies
• 7:34
  Speaker 3: for teachers. But again, you know, I'm always open to
• 7:37
  Speaker 3: conversations around things that will keep teachers in the territory.
• 7:41
  Speaker 3: We know, you know, we do value our teachers and
• 7:44
  Speaker 3: we do know that across Australia it's getting harder and
• 7:47
  Speaker 3: harder to have teachers. So absolutely still open to conversations
• 7:50
  Speaker 3: around house.
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: Now, I am very mindful of time, so I do
• 7:53
  Speaker 1: want to just ask you one more question around the
• 7:56
  Speaker 1: situation with the education and the teacher strikes. Yes, yesterday
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: we spoke again to Beverly Ratahi about the issues with
• 8:03
  Speaker 1: bonuses and the bonus for support stuff seemingly falling under
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: school's current budgets. Is there going to be another pool
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: of funding for these bonuses or is it a situation
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: where the money has to be found from their current budgets.
• 8:17
  Speaker 3: So, under the negotiations currently are out for teachers and
• 8:21
  Speaker 3: assistant teachers, that six thousand dollars bonus one thousand dollars
• 8:25
  Speaker 3: is already in the school budgets, that's already been allocaied.
• 8:29
  Speaker 3: But the five thousand dollars won't be. It won't come
• 8:32
  Speaker 3: from the school budget, so it won't impact the school
• 8:34
  Speaker 3: budgets at all, and that I have had those conversations
• 8:38
  Speaker 3: in the past with the union. But I also after
• 8:41
  Speaker 3: I heard those conversations yesterday, I will put out some
• 8:44
  Speaker 3: information to all schools just so that they're very clear
• 8:47
  Speaker 3: about that one thousand dollars is already in their budgets
• 8:50
  Speaker 3: and the five thousand dollars won't impact the school budget.
• 8:53
  Speaker 2: So was there an increase in anyway education than ever?
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: Well, was there an increase in any way for them
• 9:00
  Speaker 1: to that one thousand dollar bonus being agreed upon.
• 9:03
  Speaker 3: So you're talking about the teacher assistance, So the teacher assistance,
• 9:09
  Speaker 3: there is a component of that that was going to
• 9:11
  Speaker 3: come or that has to come from the school budgets.
• 9:15
  Speaker 3: But that funding, as I said, there is considerable amounts
• 9:19
  Speaker 3: of money in school bank accounts and that money of
• 9:22
  Speaker 3: that thousand dollars will come from the school bank accounts.
• 9:24
  Speaker 3: So it depends on how many teacher assistants they have
• 9:28
  Speaker 3: in the schools. Some of our schools will the cost
• 9:31
  Speaker 3: will be you know, two or three thousand dollars, depends
• 9:34
  Speaker 3: on the size of the school.
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: Were the schools aware of that before this, you know
• 9:38
  Speaker 1: that one thousand dollar bonus was offered, and indeed you
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: know happened, yes.
• 9:43
  Speaker 3: So that those decisions were made by the Education Department,
• 9:46
  Speaker 3: and they were they would have been informed through their
• 9:50
  Speaker 3: ADMIN managers or the ADMIN executive people as I said,
• 9:54
  Speaker 3: when those those decisions were made, probably six months ago
• 9:58
  Speaker 3: or more than that, eight months ago.
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: The remaining five thousand dollars for the bonus, though, is
• 10:03
  Speaker 1: going to come, is going to be funding provided.
• 10:06
  Speaker 3: There's two different things here. So you're talking I'm talking
• 10:09
  Speaker 3: about the teachers and then there's teachers. So the ADMIN
• 10:11
  Speaker 3: officers were under the previous admin officers who work in school,
• 10:15
  Speaker 3: so the staff in your front office for example, that
• 10:19
  Speaker 3: was they went through with that previous agreement with the
• 10:22
  Speaker 3: administration people. That was before Christmas. So there's those, But
• 10:28
  Speaker 3: there's also the teacher bonus that we're talking about now,
• 10:32
  Speaker 3: the six thousand dollars teacher bonus that also includes you know,
• 10:35
  Speaker 3: Indigenous assistant teachers in remote so that six thousand dollars
• 10:40
  Speaker 3: one thousand dollars has already gone into school budgets. Five
• 10:43
  Speaker 3: thousand dollars won't impact the school budgets year life numbers
• 10:46
  Speaker 3: with the teachers Assistant. The teacher assistance was under the
• 10:52
  Speaker 3: agreement that went through earlier or late last year before Christmas.
• 10:55
  Speaker 1: Okay, well, I'll be interested to hear then from those
• 10:58
  Speaker 1: from those different boards for the different schools what kind
• 11:01
  Speaker 1: of impact that's having then in terms of that one
• 11:04
  Speaker 1: thousand dollars and stuff.
• 11:05
  Speaker 3: It is. It is difficult, you know, we're all rebounding
• 11:09
  Speaker 3: after COVID. I'm also the treasurer, you know, yes, you
• 11:13
  Speaker 3: know if schools are having difficulties around any funding, absolutely
• 11:17
  Speaker 3: the department always steps in and assists. But you know
• 11:19
  Speaker 3: that we do need to make sure that we are
• 11:24
  Speaker 3: actually in a reasonable position with our budget and as
• 11:27
  Speaker 3: a government, we've continued to always increase our education budget
• 11:31
  Speaker 3: and we've got a one point one eight five billion
• 11:33
  Speaker 3: dollar budget and education you know, record budget.
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: We are going to have to move along because there
• 11:38
  Speaker 1: is a bit that I'm keen to cover off on
• 11:39
  Speaker 1: this morning, and I know that the Northern Territory Government's
• 11:41
  Speaker 1: investing in a potential infrastructure corridor from Tenant Creek to Darwin.
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: Now it's aimed at allowing for continued development of our regions.
• 11:49
  Speaker 1: This proposed corridor will provide pipelines for future services including gas, water,
• 11:54
  Speaker 1: communications and other utilities. From what I can gather, Minister,
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: where is this work at when it comes to this
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: to this pipeline.
• 12:03
  Speaker 3: So we're at the stage of consultation. So as you said,
• 12:06
  Speaker 3: this is a potential infrastructure corridor from Tenant Creek to Darwin,
• 12:10
  Speaker 3: and that you know, we do want to have colocation
• 12:13
  Speaker 3: of infrastructure services, so whether it's gas, water, you utilities,
• 12:18
  Speaker 3: comms and so what we need to do. There's been
• 12:21
  Speaker 3: a pre feasibility study that identified the preliminary corridor for that,
• 12:26
  Speaker 3: so that has sort of taken into account, you know,
• 12:28
  Speaker 3: the infrastructure that's needed, the environment, social impacts, you know
• 12:32
  Speaker 3: where it should go. But now is the time to
• 12:35
  Speaker 3: actually go out and talk to landholders, you know, pastoralists,
• 12:39
  Speaker 3: land councils, upper everybody that needs to have a say
• 12:44
  Speaker 3: in where that corridor goes. So consultations starting and I
• 12:48
  Speaker 3: put that media release out on Monday. There will be
• 12:52
  Speaker 3: there will be pop ups and open public forums in
• 12:55
  Speaker 3: Tenant Creek, Catherine Adelaide River as well as Darwin. But
• 12:59
  Speaker 3: that those conversations will then determine the best position for
• 13:02
  Speaker 3: the corridor. So at this stage we're not talking about
• 13:05
  Speaker 3: the pipeline because or the pipeline that we'll go in there,
• 13:08
  Speaker 3: because as I said, it could be that it's around telecoms,
• 13:11
  Speaker 3: it could be around utilities, water or gas. But what
• 13:15
  Speaker 3: we're talking about is the best position for that. So
• 13:18
  Speaker 3: how do you have a corridor that has the least
• 13:20
  Speaker 3: impact on the environment rather than over the next however,
• 13:24
  Speaker 3: many forty years, everybody that comes along wanting to put
• 13:27
  Speaker 3: in another pipeline of some sort, how do we actually
• 13:30
  Speaker 3: come up with a pipeline between Tenant Creek and Darwen
• 13:35
  Speaker 3: that can be used for multiple multiple uses.
• 13:38
  Speaker 1: Now, speaking of another development or another area where the
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: government's actually seeking feedback, it is Middle Arm. The aim
• 13:44
  Speaker 1: of Middle Arm is obviously to transform it into a
• 13:47
  Speaker 1: sustainable development ready industrial precinct. Minister, how difficult do you
• 13:52
  Speaker 1: think the development of that site's going to be given
• 13:55
  Speaker 1: the fact that the environment centers already raised concerns about
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: well what they have said is oing to be a
• 14:00
  Speaker 1: petrochemical precinct and they've described health implications for locals as
• 14:07
  Speaker 1: a result of developing that site.
• 14:09
  Speaker 3: Well, this, this is the actual opportunity for those groups
• 14:12
  Speaker 3: to have a say. So the strategic Environmental assessment is
• 14:16
  Speaker 3: out and now so Departners dip dip ALE my agency,
• 14:20
  Speaker 3: they're the ones that leading the work at Middle Arm
• 14:23
  Speaker 3: and so they want to be able to submit their
• 14:25
  Speaker 3: strategic Environmental Assessment in the first half of twenty twenty three.
• 14:29
  Speaker 3: They need to have stakeholder and community input and that's
• 14:33
  Speaker 3: what's happening now. So you're that master plan precinct which
• 14:36
  Speaker 3: will have a very strong focus on your preserving dal
• 14:39
  Speaker 3: and Harbor and all the environmental values around that. But
• 14:43
  Speaker 3: we've obviously heard loudly and clear clearly from environmental groups,
• 14:47
  Speaker 3: but this is the proper opportunity for those people to
• 14:50
  Speaker 3: have a say so that strategic environmental assessment that's out
• 14:54
  Speaker 3: now for consultation.
• 14:55
  Speaker 2: And so will it be a petrochemical hub?
• 14:59
  Speaker 3: Well, as I said, that's that's the conversations that on
• 15:01
  Speaker 3: the negotiations now around what will go there. So whether
• 15:05
  Speaker 3: it's renewables, whether it's hydrogen, whether it's carbon capture use
• 15:09
  Speaker 3: in storage. There's about I think between twenty and thirty
• 15:13
  Speaker 3: different businesses and industries that are very much interested in
• 15:17
  Speaker 3: going there. But you know, this is the whole idea
• 15:20
  Speaker 3: of middle armies to also and also our onto oil
• 15:22
  Speaker 3: and gas industry is not to just have the gas
• 15:26
  Speaker 3: the off take of gas, but to have a downstream,
• 15:28
  Speaker 3: to have downstream industries from gas. And so that's important
• 15:32
  Speaker 3: for jobs for territory and it's important for our forty
• 15:35
  Speaker 3: pillion dollar economy by twenty thirty. So there is a
• 15:38
  Speaker 3: range of groups, range of businesses that are very interested
• 15:41
  Speaker 3: in middle arm and as I said, some of those
• 15:43
  Speaker 3: will be in renewables, some will be hydrogen, and some
• 15:47
  Speaker 3: will be downstream usage of the gas that we're getting
• 15:50
  Speaker 3: from the Bedlooth.
• 15:51
  Speaker 1: Hey, minister, a quick question that we've had from our
• 15:53
  Speaker 1: listeners over the last couple of days. There's apparently these
• 15:56
  Speaker 1: smaller concrete platforms in a few locations around Darwin and
• 15:59
  Speaker 1: p People are wondering what are they for.
• 16:03
  Speaker 3: I know, so I was going to do media this
• 16:05
  Speaker 3: week on it, but because there are only the plinth
• 16:08
  Speaker 3: the bottom area was done, I said, let's wait a week.
• 16:10
  Speaker 3: But that's created so much interest I probably should have
• 16:13
  Speaker 3: come out and done some media. So they're going to
• 16:15
  Speaker 3: be visual message boards, so they will provide there's a
• 16:19
  Speaker 3: I think about twenty or thirty across the whole of
• 16:22
  Speaker 3: the territory. But they will provide information to the public
• 16:26
  Speaker 3: about the roads or it could be around cyclone watches.
• 16:30
  Speaker 3: It would be it's information to the public basically, So
• 16:33
  Speaker 3: they won't be on all the time. But for example,
• 16:35
  Speaker 3: I travel in from Palmerston to Darwin and sometimes there's
• 16:39
  Speaker 3: an accident on Tiger Brennan Drive and you know, I
• 16:42
  Speaker 3: have the radio on, but you don't always get that information.
• 16:45
  Speaker 3: But as I go along Roystonia there'll be information saying,
• 16:48
  Speaker 3: you know, there's a delay of tip on Tiverndale Road
• 16:51
  Speaker 3: or something like that, so then I can make a
• 16:53
  Speaker 3: choice to go along the Stuart Highway. So they're going
• 16:56
  Speaker 3: to be visual message boards that will provide information to
• 17:00
  Speaker 3: the public. And people have probably seen them down south
• 17:03
  Speaker 3: when you go on a freeway and places like that,
• 17:05
  Speaker 3: they're often across the top of the road and they'll
• 17:08
  Speaker 3: provide information to the public. So visual message boards that's
• 17:12
  Speaker 3: what they're going to be.
• 17:12
  Speaker 2: I tell you what.
• 17:13
  Speaker 1: We have had so many messages about those throughout this week.
• 17:16
  Speaker 1: We've except the text line a light those visual message
• 17:20
  Speaker 1: board concrete platforms.
• 17:22
  Speaker 3: I'm glad people are observant because I was the same
• 17:24
  Speaker 3: I saw the one opposite gateway there and going, ah,
• 17:27
  Speaker 3: that's what it is, because I've obviously had information about
• 17:30
  Speaker 3: it and said, oh, that's what it looks like. And
• 17:32
  Speaker 3: obviously there needs to be barriers put in. You don't
• 17:35
  Speaker 3: want you know, cars or motorbikes hitting them. So there's
• 17:38
  Speaker 3: some barriers that are also going in. But yeah, the
• 17:41
  Speaker 3: rumor that it was going to be a statue of
• 17:43
  Speaker 3: the mayor of Palmerston, I think somebody asked was totally incorrect.
• 17:48
  Speaker 1: Fair enough, do we know how much they're going to
• 17:50
  Speaker 1: cost all these visual message boards?
• 17:53
  Speaker 3: I haven't. I think somebody did tell me, Katie, but
• 17:56
  Speaker 3: I haven't got that in my brain. But when I'm sure,
• 18:00
  Speaker 3: I'll have that information.
• 18:01
  Speaker 2: But absolutely it is.
• 18:03
  Speaker 3: It is important. I mean, we do talk about resilience
• 18:06
  Speaker 3: and resilience of communities to have those messages, and I
• 18:09
  Speaker 3: think you know we've seen that down south. You know,
• 18:12
  Speaker 3: if we're going to have more fires, there's information that
• 18:15
  Speaker 3: the public can then see, you know, quickly. And it
• 18:18
  Speaker 3: is how to get messages out. I know we've got
• 18:20
  Speaker 3: Facebook and things like that, but not everybody accesses that
• 18:24
  Speaker 3: or listens to the radio people. Yeah, so it is
• 18:26
  Speaker 3: a way to get information to the public really quickly.
• 18:29
  Speaker 1: Hey minister, A very quick question, and this is something
• 18:32
  Speaker 1: that take up a lot at the time, but somebody
• 18:34
  Speaker 1: had asked, m can I ask the Education Minister if
• 18:37
  Speaker 1: she's on a PayPhrase. My understanding is that all the
• 18:39
  Speaker 1: politicians did go on a pay phrase.
• 18:41
  Speaker 3: Didn't you. Yes, yes, so all executive contracts that we've
• 18:43
  Speaker 3: been on a pay freeze for for I don't know.
• 18:46
  Speaker 3: I think the whole time I've been a minister, we've
• 18:48
  Speaker 3: been on pray freeze. As that was something Michael Gunner
• 18:51
  Speaker 3: brought in very early and I think it was within
• 18:53
  Speaker 3: probably the first year that we're in government. He put
• 18:56
  Speaker 3: all politicians on a pay freeze. But I think the
• 18:59
  Speaker 3: executive contract offices are all still on pay freezers. So
• 19:02
  Speaker 3: if you're an e CEO in the public sector, you're
• 19:04
  Speaker 3: on a pay freeze as well. I think.
• 19:06
  Speaker 1: Well, Minister, for just about everything this morning. We appreciate
• 19:10
  Speaker 1: your time. Thank you very much for covering off all
• 19:13
  Speaker 1: of those topics. I appreciate it.
• 19:14
  Speaker 3: We actually, though I can mention I did hear Jared
• 19:17
  Speaker 3: Mayley talking about the pool and how it's not going
• 19:21
  Speaker 3: to cost money. Actually there is considerable there would be
• 19:25
  Speaker 3: considerable costs for the Northern Territory Government. So the pool
• 19:29
  Speaker 3: at how it springs wasn't constructed for broad public usage,
• 19:32
  Speaker 3: and it doesn't comply with a Disability Discrimination Act, it
• 19:35
  Speaker 3: has limited change rooms, and it doesn't meet the Northern
• 19:39
  Speaker 3: Territory government guidelines for the public.
• 19:41
  Speaker 2: And so is that why it's not going to be
• 19:42
  Speaker 2: used or.
• 19:43
  Speaker 3: It's part of the equation. But I mean the other
• 19:46
  Speaker 3: part of the equation is, you know, the federal government
• 19:49
  Speaker 3: is also paying the Northern Territory Government to hold to
• 19:52
  Speaker 3: have that facility for the next twelve months. There's a
• 19:55
  Speaker 3: possibility always that we may need to use that facility.
• 19:58
  Speaker 3: But you know there has been at other times and
• 20:00
  Speaker 3: we know the example of prap Pool when parrapp was
• 20:04
  Speaker 3: getting built, that when Perrap Pool was closed for a
• 20:06
  Speaker 3: couple of years. So I know, I've worked with the
• 20:10
  Speaker 3: City of Palmerston around the pool because the pool issue
• 20:13
  Speaker 3: is the City of Palmerston. They're the ones that access
• 20:15
  Speaker 3: the funding and the mayor has been very very accommodating.
• 20:19
  Speaker 3: They've offered to pay for people's usage at the Goldfish
• 20:24
  Speaker 3: Bowl for example, that's a private provider. So the mayor
• 20:27
  Speaker 3: has been very accommodating around suggestions to assist schools even
• 20:31
  Speaker 3: with bus fares if they need to go into town.
• 20:33
  Speaker 3: So I know the CLP of get on and often
• 20:36
  Speaker 3: talk about the pool. But what people need to do
• 20:40
  Speaker 3: is to talk to the mayor, because the mayor I
• 20:42
  Speaker 3: know has had conversations with me and she's been very
• 20:46
  Speaker 3: very ameniable to coming up with solutions for people who
• 20:49
  Speaker 3: aren't accessing the pool and also ways to fund that.
• 20:53
  Speaker 3: So if there is a school, or if there is
• 20:55
  Speaker 3: an organization that is impacted, please get in touch with
• 20:59
  Speaker 3: athene as far as I'm concerned, and that Athena has
• 21:03
  Speaker 3: managed this exceptionally well.
• 21:04
  Speaker 1: So, but at the end of the day, that Howard
• 21:07
  Speaker 1: Springs Pool is not going to be one that the
• 21:09
  Speaker 1: that the government's prepared to allow people to use it.
• 21:13
  Speaker 3: It's just isn't feasible. You know, there would need to
• 21:16
  Speaker 3: be well you just heard me large amounts of money spent.
• 21:20
  Speaker 3: It has it's all of it doesn't have a shallow area,
• 21:24
  Speaker 3: it's deep the whole way through. As I said, there
• 21:27
  Speaker 3: need to be fencing, change rooms put in place. There's
• 21:31
  Speaker 3: only ladders into it doesn't have as I said, disability access.
• 21:36
  Speaker 3: There are considerable and we did look into all of this.
• 21:39
  Speaker 3: We didn't just say no straight away. But you know
• 21:42
  Speaker 3: that I've driven past the new the Parmesan pool, that
• 21:45
  Speaker 3: work is underway and sometimes there are things that you
• 21:49
  Speaker 3: know there is an inconvenience. We do understand that, but
• 21:52
  Speaker 3: we just have to be patient around that. There will
• 21:55
  Speaker 3: be a wonderful new facility that's going to cost a
• 21:58
  Speaker 3: lot of money into the future. And as I said,
• 22:01
  Speaker 3: there are options around school swimming. The council has offered
• 22:05
  Speaker 3: those things. So if there is anybody that's got a
• 22:07
  Speaker 3: concern around the Palmesan Pool, please contact the Mayor. I
• 22:10
  Speaker 3: know she's had lots of conversations. I don't know if
• 22:13
  Speaker 3: she's had conversations though with the colp, but she has
• 22:17
  Speaker 3: had conversations with lots of people around the pool.
• 22:19
  Speaker 1: Well, Minister, we certainly appreciate your time this morning. Thank
• 22:22
  Speaker 1: you very much for chatting with us about a lot
• 22:25
  Speaker 1: of different topics.
• 22:26
  Speaker 2: Thank you, thank you, thanks very much.
• 22:28
  Speaker 1: That is the Minister, also the Treasurer, Education Minister, Minister
• 22:32
  Speaker 1: for Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics.
• 22:34
  Speaker 2: Quite a few portfolios.
• 22:36
  Speaker 1: If you'd like to get in contact with me this morning,
• 22:38
  Speaker 1: that number to text through is zero four, double nine seven,
• 22:41
  Speaker 1: double one three six zero. We are going to have
• 22:44
  Speaker 1: to go to a break and get to the National
• 22:45
  Speaker 1: news