Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Parker and Bruce On Checking In

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Parker and Bruce On Checking In · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Well, it is twenty five minutes away from ten o'clock,
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: and we do know that the AMA's Northern Territory Branch
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: is urging the government not to allow travel from metropolitan
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: Melbourne to the territory until there's been no reported community
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: transmission in two weeks.
• 0:15
  Speaker 2: Now, we do know that as of.
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: Monday, the Northern Territory is going to be opening borders
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: with Regional Victoria joining me on the line to talk
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: more about the situation. Is the AMA the Australian Medical
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: Association's Northern Territory Branch President, Doctor Robert Parker. Good morning,
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: doctor Parker, Morning Cadie, Doctor Parker.
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: What are your concerns at the moment?
• 0:38
  Speaker 3: Well, again, the IMA and an center at lockstep, but
• 0:41
  Speaker 3: this is a dangerous step and potentially gout exposed territory
• 0:44
  Speaker 3: in suite COVID and again the implications for indigenous community
• 0:48
  Speaker 3: the catastrophic if we get COVID in the community of
• 0:53
  Speaker 3: interest on it's very I was sort of interested in
• 0:55
  Speaker 3: the achievements of emotional response to my statements last night.
• 1:00
  Speaker 3: My line of work, people get emotional when they get anxious,
• 1:02
  Speaker 3: so I'm perceiving a certain degree of anxiety in the
• 1:06
  Speaker 3: high levels about the decision. And the other thing, obviously
• 1:08
  Speaker 3: is like, wish you'd get as emotional about tobacco reform,
• 1:11
  Speaker 3: and then tobacco is currently killing a lot more territories
• 1:14
  Speaker 3: than COVID is, so I'd like to see I'd like
• 1:16
  Speaker 3: to see the chiefments to get emotional about tobacco as well.
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: So you reckon, do you reckon that they're feeling a
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: bit anxious those high level decision makers at the moment
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: about the fact that we're opening to regional Victoria and
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: thinking further down the track about Melbourne.
• 1:32
  Speaker 3: Well, the AMA and ANSWERED have been commenting on the
• 1:34
  Speaker 3: border issue for a long time, pretty much since COVID began,
• 1:37
  Speaker 3: and this is the first time for the Chiefmentess has
• 1:39
  Speaker 3: directly attacked the AMA. So that to me indicates a
• 1:42
  Speaker 3: certain degree of anxiety and high quarters at the moment.
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: Yeah, because I've got to say, I haven't taken the
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: comments that you or Am Sant have made over the
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: last several months. I haven't taken them as sort of,
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: you know, full blown criticism at the government or.
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: At the Chief Health Officer.
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: I've actually taken them as you guys raising concerns.
• 2:02
  Speaker 3: And that's all right to be advocates to the health
• 2:05
  Speaker 3: of territories. And I must say I've got tremendous respect
• 2:08
  Speaker 3: and affection for doctor Hugh Hegey. Use the chief of
• 2:11
  Speaker 3: my comments were in no maybe meant to attack his
• 2:14
  Speaker 3: credibility or situation.
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: No, doctor Hegey has done a phenomenal job, I think,
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: and I reckon that most people would be in agreement
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: with that under what have been really difficult circumstances. Doctor Parker,
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: just to go back to Regional Victoria, obviously, we're opening
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: up to Regional Victoria on Monday. How are the AMA
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: and also am Sad. I know that you've said that
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: you're in lockstep. How are you guys feeling about firstly
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: that opening up?
• 2:43
  Speaker 3: Well again, ancestors run me this morning to tell where
• 2:45
  Speaker 3: there's a fourth mystery case that turned up in Regional Victoria,
• 2:49
  Speaker 3: which agains are all worry because again, I mean, the
• 2:52
  Speaker 3: concern from me has always been the super spread and
• 2:54
  Speaker 3: you know, the people that got the virus who don't
• 2:56
  Speaker 3: know they've got it, and they're adding about spreading it about.
• 2:59
  Speaker 3: And that's why I've really urged you know, and Amsent.
• 3:02
  Speaker 3: I think they're equally concerned about the two week issue. Really,
• 3:05
  Speaker 3: you know, in terms I understand people who've got family
• 3:08
  Speaker 3: contacts in their family contact, but again you've got phones,
• 3:11
  Speaker 3: you've got iPads, you've got zoom and whatever, and you know,
• 3:15
  Speaker 3: really isn't worth an extra two weeks, you know, for
• 3:17
  Speaker 3: family contact versus potentially the death of hundreds of Territorians
• 3:21
  Speaker 3: if the virus gets into an indigenous community.
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: Well, this has always been the concern now, I know
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: as well. There earlier in the week the Chief min
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: of Sir Michael Gunner had spoken to the ABC and
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: he'd said that we're on track to open borders to
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: Melbourne AND's before Christmas potentially.
• 3:40
  Speaker 2: What do you think about those comments?
• 3:42
  Speaker 3: Well, again, as long as the community transmission is low
• 3:44
  Speaker 3: in Melbourne and there's actually no transmission, I mean the
• 3:47
  Speaker 3: problem Victoria has always been contact tracing. Well, it's had
• 3:51
  Speaker 3: very good contact tracing and you know, and I gather
• 3:55
  Speaker 3: things are picking up in Melbourne. So as long as
• 3:57
  Speaker 3: we're not getting communities transition in Melbourne and the victor
• 4:00
  Speaker 3: or in a health department is getting more adept to
• 4:03
  Speaker 3: contact tracing, I've got reasonable confidence that's the safe option.
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: And it does all come down to that contact tracing,
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: doesn't it. And that's probably the reason that it's prompted
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: your calls for us here in the Northern Territory to
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: maybe introduce that situation where if you go out to
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: a hospitality business or if you go to have a
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: meal at a cafe or a restaurant, that you have
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: those details being logged.
• 4:27
  Speaker 3: Well, it's essential. I mean the issue is if it
• 4:29
  Speaker 3: does keep going and I've been to a restaurant, I
• 4:32
  Speaker 3: want to know, you know, you know, potentially if I've
• 4:35
  Speaker 3: become into contact with it. Whenever I go to the
• 4:37
  Speaker 3: cinema now, which is on the occasion they take my
• 4:40
  Speaker 3: phone number, which is you know, exactly what should happen,
• 4:42
  Speaker 3: And they should have those those scanning things so you
• 4:45
  Speaker 3: can just scan and scan your phone. And they got
• 4:48
  Speaker 3: They've got it. I mean, it makes sense that this virus,
• 4:51
  Speaker 3: I mean again and again from overseas, we're reminded of
• 4:55
  Speaker 3: how dangerousness virus is and how it can just break
• 4:57
  Speaker 3: out again. The countries that have been reasonably say it
• 5:00
  Speaker 3: breaks out again and kills people, And I just think
• 5:03
  Speaker 3: the government needs to have a greater degree of surveillance
• 5:05
  Speaker 3: to protect the health of territories.
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: Yeah, so so really do you think, I mean, would
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: it be difficult for us to introduce the same as
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: what they are doing in other states. I know when
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: I was in cans you know, you go into a cafe,
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: you just scan the QR code and it's pretty easy, exactly.
• 5:21
  Speaker 3: You know, we obviously got things like the BDR, so
• 5:24
  Speaker 3: you know we've got technology for the BDR now, so
• 5:26
  Speaker 3: if they can said of a BDR, they should be
• 5:28
  Speaker 3: able to set up technology for QR codes quite easily.
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: So doctor Parker, it really it does sound to me
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: as though you are really just urging the government to
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: err on the side of caution.
• 5:40
  Speaker 3: We're just we feel we've got a right to advocate
• 5:44
  Speaker 3: for the right of for the health of territorians. If
• 5:47
  Speaker 3: that makes the chiefmentess to emotional, well so, Yet that,
• 5:49
  Speaker 3: as the said, is a concern. You know my professional capacity,
• 5:53
  Speaker 3: that level of emotion always indicates anxiety. So I suspect
• 5:56
  Speaker 3: the chievements is not easy with his decision at the moment,
• 5:59
  Speaker 3: and were hoping that he might reconsider it.
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: Yeah, were you surprised by his response yesterday?
• 6:04
  Speaker 3: Very interesting. It's the first time we've been directly attacked
• 6:07
  Speaker 3: as the AMA by the achievement is over this period.
• 6:09
  Speaker 3: So again I think it's a concern that is obviously
• 6:12
  Speaker 3: a level of anxiety and high callers about the position
• 6:15
  Speaker 3: and maybe there's a chance for considering it again.
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: Well, it is always good to talk to you, doctor
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: Robert Parker. We really appreciate your time this morning. I
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: know you're a busy man.
• 6:26
  Speaker 3: Thanks Codie, thank you you too.
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: And straight from doctor Robert Parker, we are going to
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: head across right now to Hospitality into CEO. Alex Bruce,
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: Good morning to you, Alex.
• 6:38
  Speaker 4: Good morning Katie.
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: Now, Alex, we've been talking obviously.
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: You know you and I have spoken on so many
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: occasions about COVID and the way that it's impacted the
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: hospitality industry. We know that there are now those calls
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: and we've just heard from from doctor Robert Parker from
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: the Australian Medical Association about whether we do need to
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: be looking to introduce, you know, some kind of of
• 7:00
  Speaker 1: monitoring or I guess some kind of introduction of our
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: details being given when we do enter a hospitality business
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: so that if there is at some point in the
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: territory and outbreak of COVID, it's quite easy for us
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: to do that contact tracing.
• 7:14
  Speaker 2: Would that be difficult for you guys to implement?
• 7:18
  Speaker 4: Short answer no, And look I was listening to that
• 7:21
  Speaker 4: interview and I think doctor Parker is right in terms
• 7:23
  Speaker 4: of his role in the AMA's role in the advocacy
• 7:27
  Speaker 4: that they're doing. I echo sentiments with regards the expertise
• 7:31
  Speaker 4: that we've felt in that seen on display from doctor
• 7:34
  Speaker 4: Hugh Hegy, Chief Health Officer and the team at Health.
• 7:38
  Speaker 4: We're quite comfortable that and we've been working with them
• 7:41
  Speaker 4: on this and other issues. I think you're going to
• 7:44
  Speaker 4: see movement in this space. From my personal perspective, it's
• 7:47
  Speaker 4: not necessarily case numbers in Melbourne or even Greater Victoria.
• 7:52
  Speaker 4: Look at New Zealand, they can have no cases for
• 7:54
  Speaker 4: one hundred days and this does have a tendency to
• 7:57
  Speaker 4: pop itself back up. Stand ready to assist the government
• 8:01
  Speaker 4: and doctor Heggy in terms of whatever information flows they
• 8:05
  Speaker 4: need from our industry to make their job of contact
• 8:08
  Speaker 4: tracing easier, because this is the normal now. Unfortunately, until
• 8:13
  Speaker 4: you know, we've all had three jabs in the arm
• 8:15
  Speaker 4: or a vaccine that hasn't even been invented yet.
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: Yeah, well, you know what that is really good to hear,
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: and it's actually I think that you know, the wonderful
• 8:23
  Speaker 1: thing that I think we've seen from the community is
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: everybody trying their best to work together on this thing.
• 8:28
  Speaker 2: You know, it's something that's so out.
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: Of our control, and we're all kind of on this,
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: you know, on the same wavelength where we're thinking, well,
• 8:34
  Speaker 1: let's try and do everything we can so that if
• 8:37
  Speaker 1: something pops up, if there is a case, we are
• 8:40
  Speaker 1: able to keep the wider community as safe as possible.
• 8:44
  Speaker 4: That's it. And look, there are systems off the shelf
• 8:46
  Speaker 4: ready to go that other states and territories are using.
• 8:50
  Speaker 4: We are supportive of a government instituted one that you know,
• 8:54
  Speaker 4: they collect the data the privacy of our patrons and customers.
• 8:59
  Speaker 4: It would rest with health that wouldn't fall in the
• 9:01
  Speaker 4: hands of marketing companies or anything else, and it would
• 9:04
  Speaker 4: be just used solely for the purpose of the contact tracing.
• 9:07
  Speaker 4: It means they're not chasing a manager or an owner
• 9:09
  Speaker 4: who might be down in lichfield the day after if
• 9:11
  Speaker 4: they are trying to get access to each individual businesses data.
• 9:16
  Speaker 4: I do want to make the point though it is
• 9:17
  Speaker 4: broader and just hospitality is our understandings, you know, like
• 9:21
  Speaker 4: this is if you go on to the barber or
• 9:23
  Speaker 4: the hairdresser and you haven't got a booking, you'll need
• 9:25
  Speaker 4: to any walk up trade where there is that close
• 9:28
  Speaker 4: connection and interaction, you know, potentially any time you're in
• 9:32
  Speaker 4: premises beyond fifteen minutes. It is a lot broader than
• 9:36
  Speaker 4: just our industry. And the other thing we do want
• 9:39
  Speaker 4: to continue to stress is we need the community to
• 9:41
  Speaker 4: be on board for this. We need our patrons and
• 9:43
  Speaker 4: customers to realize, you know, from the advice from down South,
• 9:47
  Speaker 4: from you over and camp, this isn't a big imposition.
• 9:51
  Speaker 4: You get quite used to it. So long as we
• 9:53
  Speaker 4: can show you that you know the data is being
• 9:56
  Speaker 4: protected and that this is a COVID measure more than
• 9:58
  Speaker 4: a marketing measure, then just bear with us and we'll
• 10:02
  Speaker 4: get through it together. This doesn't need to be a
• 10:04
  Speaker 4: big bung fight.
• 10:05
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I reckon, you've hit the nail on the head there.
• 10:07
  Speaker 1: You know, So long as that data isn't being collected
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: for you know, for marketing or something else, and that
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: you know it's not going to be shared anywhere else,
• 10:14
  Speaker 1: I know I've got no issue with it. When I,
• 10:16
  Speaker 1: like I said, the example that I gave when I
• 10:18
  Speaker 1: was in Cans. You literally at some of the counters
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: where you go up to you literally just scan this
• 10:23
  Speaker 1: QR code.
• 10:25
  Speaker 2: You know, on your camera on your phone.
• 10:27
  Speaker 1: It brings up where like, it brings up the details
• 10:29
  Speaker 1: of where you are and that kind of thing. You
• 10:31
  Speaker 1: just fill in a couple of other extras and you're done.
• 10:34
  Speaker 1: It takes like two minutes. It's so easy. And I
• 10:36
  Speaker 1: think if we can make it as easy as possible
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: for that contact tracing, if we end up with cases
• 10:42
  Speaker 1: here in the territory, the better.
• 10:46
  Speaker 4: That's it. And you know, because the borders have open
• 10:48
  Speaker 4: to safe places like Queenland for a while now and
• 10:51
  Speaker 4: even Sydney more recently, our venues are reporting that those
• 10:55
  Speaker 4: patrons are coming in and they expect to see it.
• 10:57
  Speaker 4: It's they're use to it down where they've come from,
• 11:01
  Speaker 4: and it's not going to scare the tourists. The way
• 11:04
  Speaker 4: that we implement the same thing that's going on across
• 11:07
  Speaker 4: the rest of the country. You know, no one can
• 11:09
  Speaker 4: judge for how long it'd stay for a year.
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: Or so, Yeah, yeah, I reckon, it's spot on, and
• 11:14
  Speaker 1: I'm pleased to hear that there are those moves being
• 11:17
  Speaker 1: made already by the sounds of things, Alex, and it
• 11:19
  Speaker 1: sounds as though the hospitality industry is more than happy
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: to you know, to adhere to whatever our health professionals
• 11:26
  Speaker 1: are saying in this space, our chief health officer. But
• 11:28
  Speaker 1: like you've also touched on, you know, it does need
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: to include those other industries as well, which I would
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: think most people would be okay about.
• 11:36
  Speaker 4: That's it, And the reality is we are in a
• 11:39
  Speaker 4: very fortunate position up here a relative to the rest
• 11:41
  Speaker 4: of the country. We know that we know this isn't
• 11:43
  Speaker 4: about keeping hard boarders. New Zealand is the perfect example.
• 11:47
  Speaker 4: We can't completely de risk ourselves from something coming back
• 11:50
  Speaker 4: in from overseas at some point, So it's about having
• 11:53
  Speaker 4: those systems in place that help the government.
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm not too sure what's gone on there. Somehow
• 11:59
  Speaker 1: songs just started playing for us. It's time to sound
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: Alex Bruce.
• 12:02
  Speaker 3: I think it was the more I'm not music.
• 12:05
  Speaker 2: I didn't mean to Mate. I'm not sure how that happened.
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: Well, Alex, just more generally for you guys in the
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: hospitality industry at the moment, I know it's been a
• 12:14
  Speaker 1: tough time and you and I have spoken on quite
• 12:15
  Speaker 1: a few occasions about this, but how are things tracking
• 12:18
  Speaker 1: along at the moment?
• 12:21
  Speaker 5: Look pretty well all things considered, especially where there's locals
• 12:25
  Speaker 5: that you know can't go to Thailand or aren't planning
• 12:28
  Speaker 5: a trip to Bali, or less of us are planning
• 12:30
  Speaker 5: to head down over the Christmas period, we might actually
• 12:34
  Speaker 5: have quite a healthy local season up here in the
• 12:38
  Speaker 5: wet season, underpinned by those locals.
• 12:41
  Speaker 4: It is a different story for the missing tourists. The
• 12:44
  Speaker 4: business travelers haven't returned, so you still see a lot
• 12:47
  Speaker 4: of restaurants around town that have shuttered three or four
• 12:49
  Speaker 4: days of the week, and when we're all out and
• 12:52
  Speaker 4: about on the weekend enjoying them, we might get the
• 12:54
  Speaker 4: false impression where this is chockers, everything's back to normals.
• 12:58
  Speaker 4: But the reality is a lot of unfortunately didn't have
• 13:02
  Speaker 4: the trade they need in the dry season that sustains
• 13:05
  Speaker 4: them through the web. But it's not all bad news.
• 13:08
  Speaker 4: I think largely the venues will survive and we're just
• 13:11
  Speaker 4: very much gearing up to having a cracker next year.
• 13:14
  Speaker 1: Well, Alex, I know that those tourism vouchers as well
• 13:17
  Speaker 1: will there's sort of there's another round coming out. Will
• 13:19
  Speaker 1: that help our will that help the hospitality industry in
• 13:22
  Speaker 1: any way?
• 13:23
  Speaker 2: Do you reckon?
• 13:24
  Speaker 4: Absolutely so in our shared space with some of the
• 13:27
  Speaker 4: tourism bodies that it's the accommodation houses that have copped
• 13:30
  Speaker 4: it quite hard alongside. You know, Glenn Hingley from Tours
• 13:34
  Speaker 4: and Top End will talk about the transport companies so
• 13:37
  Speaker 4: that when we are getting out and about, none of
• 13:39
  Speaker 4: us are hiring the four wheel drives that the international
• 13:42
  Speaker 4: or domestic tourists used to do. So there are pockets
• 13:45
  Speaker 4: of particular effected industries and accommodation as a sector has
• 13:49
  Speaker 4: benefited from those vouchers and will contine you to do so.
• 13:53
  Speaker 4: But you know what, even if it's going to accommodation
• 13:55
  Speaker 4: house or a tourist operator, but it's getting us out
• 13:58
  Speaker 4: and about. We're probably having a mew, We're probably having
• 14:00
  Speaker 4: few drinks out and about as well. So it spreads
• 14:02
  Speaker 4: through the coffee shops and the restaurants as well, which.
• 14:05
  Speaker 1: Is it is obviously a good thing, Alex. We are
• 14:09
  Speaker 1: going to have to leave it there. Always good to
• 14:11
  Speaker 1: catch up with you, mate, I really appreciate your time.
• 14:14
  Speaker 4: She's Katie are the best