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Katie Woolf spoke with Minister for Essential Services Eva Lawler · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Essential Services Minister, Evil Lula, Good morning, minister, Good morning,
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: Katie Minister. Certainly a difficult situation yesterday. I think initially
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: people were wondering whether there was a situation where we
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: didn't have enough gas or there wasn't gas to keep
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: things running out there at Channel Island, but it sounds
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: as though it was actually an issue with the gas infrastructure.
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: Yeah. So just listening to Duncan as well, I heard
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: him this morning, and obviously we've had information coming through.
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: You know, no system is immune for outages. But I'd
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: also like to thank the staff out at TGen, the
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: people out at Channel Island, for how quickly that they
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: actually got the system back up and running. So yeah,
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: not good. Nobody wants it power off, particularly when we're
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: going through some really hot weather and also going into
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: a state of origin game. I can tell you. I
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: think you had people texting me asking constantly when it
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: was coming back on. So well done to the all
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: involved in getting it back on. Yet it was one
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: of those things that wasn't acceptable and you know, something
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: that nobody wants to see happen.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, absolutely, minister.
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  Speaker 1: I guess I'm trying to wrap my head around and
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: maybe you can explain it a bit further for us.
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  Speaker 1: Who is actually responsible for the gas infrastructure that you
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  Speaker 1: know that then obviously goes into the power station out
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  Speaker 1: there at Channel Island.
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  Speaker 2: So it's APA, and I mean people can google APA,
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  Speaker 2: but they've been in the territory for a very long time.
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  Speaker 2: So they're the pipeline operator. And so we get gas
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  Speaker 2: from the Amatis Basin down in Central Australia. We also
• 1:31
  Speaker 2: get gas from black Tip out near what I And
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: so the pipeline that comes up to supply power generation,
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  Speaker 2: sorry to supply power and water with gas, is that
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: one that's run by APA. And you know, let's face it,
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: they've been extremely reliable and occasionally there's things that go wrong.
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: And the best bit though is how quickly and how
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: prepared TGen and Parent Water were about getting things back online.
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: And I think that's been the best bit of news.
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: You know, we saw that System Black in Alice Springs.
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  Speaker 2: We got the report from that. You know, there was
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: unacceptable levels of preparedness with that System Black. I'm very
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: pleased to see that that wasn't the case with this.
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  Speaker 2: So one of the recommendations in the System Black report
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  Speaker 2: was around the Public Utilities group making sure that they
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: stand up within ninety minutes. So that's the pulling together
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: of all of those utilities leaders and making sure things
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: are all action and all happening. And that group was
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: stood up within an hour this time, so you know,
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  Speaker 2: it's good for me as a Minister of Essential Services
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  Speaker 2: to see that those recommendations have been turned around. Things
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: are actually happening, people have taken note and doing the
• 2:43
  Speaker 2: right thing. So I was really reassured by that.
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: Now, Minister, I know there'll be plenty of people listening
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: this morning, who if they've lived in Darwin or lived
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: in the territory for a while. We'll recall the days
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: where you know, we have had extensive power outages, well
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: incredibly long power outages, I guess you'd say, and back
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: in those days. Funnily enough, I actually worked for the
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: Essential Services Minister at that time and there were some
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: real issues with maintenance and also with some of the
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: infrastructure at Power and Water. And I know that from
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: what we're hearing right now, this is obviously a pipeline
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: which isn't Power and Water's infrastructure. But do you have
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: any concerns that that there is issues with the infrastructure
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: or do you feel as though things are up to
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: scratch where they need to be.
• 3:28
  Speaker 2: Yeah, Katie, I mean I've been minister for about eight weeks.
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  Speaker 2: I am the newly appointed minister in this area and
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: so it has been useful. I mean, I find it's fascinating.
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  Speaker 2: It's an amazing area in the territory. So the work
• 3:41
  Speaker 2: around renewables as well. It is such an evolving, quick
• 3:44
  Speaker 2: moving area. But in the briefings I've had with Gerhart,
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  Speaker 2: the new CE, with Juna from Power and Water, also
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: obviously Jakhana, I've been really reassured that you know, they
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: absolutely know their business and they're making sure all that
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: the equipment that they have that they're getting you know,
• 4:03
  Speaker 2: the servicing all of those things. But you know, these
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: are machines and we know they've been aging machines. But
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  Speaker 2: you know, as I said, we have some of the
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  Speaker 2: best engineers, some long term workers that are working out
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  Speaker 2: at Channel Island, so they know their business. And you know,
• 4:19
  Speaker 2: as a minister, I've been reassured that we have very
• 4:22
  Speaker 2: good people on the job that are keeping these you know,
• 4:25
  Speaker 2: these really complex machinery bits of machinery up and running.
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: So as I said, yeah, we all remember the days
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: where we all had candles within arms reach and you know,
• 4:36
  Speaker 2: torches and things like that. So yeah, I've been really
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: pleased with the back, the will lead, the information that
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: I've had, the background information that's been provided me to
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: me from these chief executives.
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: So, Minister, in this situation, I mean, will we just
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: sound lucky well as.
• 4:52
  Speaker 2: I said, I mean, I think was Dunek and said
• 4:54
  Speaker 2: that the you know, there'll be the pipeline operator, will
• 4:58
  Speaker 2: you provide information, it will get investigated. It's you know,
• 5:01
  Speaker 2: we need to get to the bottom of the root
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  Speaker 2: cause of what called you know, what went wrong, and
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: it's like anything, once you know what went wrong, you
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: then put things in place to make sure it doesn't
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: happen again. So there will be an incident report. The
• 5:14
  Speaker 2: Utilities Commission absolutely will get a report from that, and
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  Speaker 2: you know they are an independent commission. They will provide
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  Speaker 2: then also information back to me and you know, yeah,
• 5:26
  Speaker 2: we will need to make sure then that whatever the
• 5:29
  Speaker 2: issue was, you know, that's one more that we don't
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: want to see happen again.
• 5:32
  Speaker 3: Basically, Minister.
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: A couple of questions coming through on the tech line,
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: people wondering whether businesses will be compensated for not being
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: able to open for the night.
• 5:41
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, probably the best thing to do at
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: this early stage is for them to contact Power and Water,
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: and Power and Water will be able to see if
• 5:49
  Speaker 2: they're eligible or provide information to them.
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: From your perspective, is it I mean, is it appropriate
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: or is it acceptable? I guess it's probably a better
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: word to have more than forty nine thousand people without power.
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: No, definitely not acceptable. Nobody wants the power to go off,
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: you know. I mean, obviously, as the minister, that's the
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: last thing you want to have happened. You know. I
• 6:11
  Speaker 2: was coming back from a meeting and the traffic lights
• 6:13
  Speaker 2: were outside quickly ringing Nicole Madison, the minister for you know, police,
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: and by the time I pull into my office and
• 6:20
  Speaker 2: I'm getting, you know, lots of messages saying my powers out.
• 6:24
  Speaker 2: You know, I've got Natasha on the phone saying my
• 6:26
  Speaker 2: powers out at Nightcliffe. So absolutely, then it was a
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: matter of chasing, you know, to find out what's going
• 6:32
  Speaker 2: on and realizing that, yeah, it's an issue in my portfolio.
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  Speaker 2: So you know, we then stayed back in our office
• 6:38
  Speaker 2: till late, you know, to make sure that. Well, we
• 6:41
  Speaker 2: had staff answering phone calls that were coming in here,
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: working with TGen, trying to get updated information out to
• 6:49
  Speaker 2: you know, media, as many people as we could to
• 6:51
  Speaker 2: continue to provide updates. So totally unacceptable. Definitely nobody wants
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: power going off at any time. But as I said,
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: it is you know, this is machinery. We all understand that,
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  Speaker 2: but it is about getting to the bottom of what
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  Speaker 2: the root cause was and then putting things in place
• 7:07
  Speaker 2: so that we don't see those things occur again.
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: Well, Minister for Essential Services, Eva Laula, really appreciate your
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: time this morning.
• 7:15
  Speaker 3: Thanks so much for coming on and talking us through
• 7:17
  Speaker 3: the issue.
• 7:18
  Speaker 2: And you'd be happy with the Queensland win.
• 7:20
  Speaker 3: Katie Oh, I was very happy.
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  Speaker 1: I was very happy that the power came back on
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: so we could watch it. I went and had takeaway first,
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: and then I was incredibly happy to see that Queensland
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: had won.
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  Speaker 3: Well, I got home to see the end of it.
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  Speaker 1: All right, all right, good on your minister, Thank you.
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: That is Minister Eva Laula there, and I tell you what,
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  Speaker 1: it was quite chaotic yesterday. I was sort of driving
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: around and well, actually I was at home when the
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: power went off firstly, and I thought, I wonder what's
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: going on here?
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  Speaker 3: Have I got too many appliances on?
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  Speaker 2: Is it?
• 7:52
  Speaker 3: Because I got the air goorne running so hard?
• 7:56
  Speaker 1: But then got in the car to take the kids
• 7:58
  Speaker 1: to the swimming pool for training and realized that all
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: the lights were out as well. It was a bit
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: of a worry sort of driving through the prop area
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: with all those lights out, and then you know, I
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: realized that it was a bit more widespread than what
• 8:11
  Speaker 1: I'd thought, and so eventually I ended up back here
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: at the radio station, just trying my best to sort
• 8:18
  Speaker 1: of help Andrew and others get a little bit more
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: info as it was required. But you know, forty nine
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: thousand customers without power. From what we've heard this morning,
• 8:28
  Speaker 1: it is the gas infrastructure that failed for whatever reason.
• 8:33
  Speaker 1: So that's the investigation that's going to take place today.
• 8:36
  Speaker 1: There will also be a bit of an investigation to
• 8:39
  Speaker 1: make sure that there's been no damage cause to those
• 8:42
  Speaker 1: generators at Channel Island, and as you've heard from the minister,
• 8:47
  Speaker 1: there certainly measures put in place to try their best
• 8:50
  Speaker 1: to ensure that this does not happen again.