Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie Woolf spoke with Minister for Health, Tourism and Hospitality Natasha Fyles

Transcript

Katie Woolf spoke with Minister for Health, Tourism and Hospitality Natasha Fyles · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: The Minister for Health and also the Minister for Tourism.
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Natasha Philes joins me on the line. Good morning to
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: your minister.
• 0:06
  Speaker 2: Good morning, Katie, Good morning listeners.
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: Now, Minister, firstly, most of us obviously had a great weekend,
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: but unfortunately some people were targets of senseless break ins
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: homes and businesses. The most notable was the Fanny bay IgA,
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: which was targeted in a brazen attack yesterday morning.
• 0:25
  Speaker 3: Minister. Have you seen that vision and what was your reaction?
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: Oh, Katie, I have seen the vision. It was hard
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: to avoid it yesterday on social media and it's unacceptable.
• 0:34
  Speaker 2: It's just appalling. You know, people should be relaxing over Easter.
• 0:37
  Speaker 2: I know that many small business owners particularly take the
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: opportunity with the two public holidays, you know, to have
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: a break and for them to have to see that
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: footage and then deal with that is just not acceptable
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: and so we have got a range of measures. I
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: have to be careful around that specific case now, Katie,
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: because that breaking is now police have made an arrest
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: or charged to sixteen year old as you mentioned, so
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: it's the matter before the courts. But it is simply unacceptable, Minister.
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: The Chief Minister Michael Gunner did ABC Radio this morning.
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: He's been absolutely slammed on social media for his comments
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: on there. It is. It's really clear to me and
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: really clear to the whole community. I think at the
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: moment that the rhetoric that's coming out of the government
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: when it comes to youth crime just isn't getting through.
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: You know, a lot of everyday Territorians are feeling incredibly
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: fed up. Why are we still in a situation where
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: it just seems like this is the norm in the
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: Northern Territory.
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: So, Katie, it's been the space that we saw the
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: Royal Commission into Youth Detention and Child Protection and a
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: huge body of work undertaken, and there has been a
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: lot of work since then, both by Minister Wakefield and
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: now continued with Minister Warden, but supported by other ministers.
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: You know, police have a role to play in this,
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: myself as Minister of Alcohol Policy. So we are doing
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: a lot of work. But we do need to make
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: sure that Territorians understand that we have got a board
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: and comprehensive range of measures, you know, and there's specifics
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: that I can go into now that and we do
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: need to share that detail with territory and so that
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: they can understand that their frustrations are being heard. And
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: some of these spaces are difficult to make change in
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: working with young people, but we have to keep at it. Now.
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: One of these one of these changes that was announced
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: obviously it was a couple of weeks ago, this legislation
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: that is aimed at trying to stop RECIDIVIS defenders. Is
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: this legislation going to be passed and will there be
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: a time frame for the implementation of these legislative changes
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: in May?
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: Yeah, so, Katie, we've said that we will. You know
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: that bail is a privilege, not a right, so that
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: automatic revocation of fail we are looking at that, Expanding
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: the list of prescribed defenses, expanding electronic monitoring by police
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: and also the ability to record breach of bail information
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: so that judges know how many times the use of
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: breach bail when they're making senset thing decisions, and also
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: around holding young people to account within the Traffic Act
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: looking at alcohol and other drugs, we know the sense
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: of urgency KD. That would be a specific question for
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: the Minister responsible for that legislation in terms of when
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: they intend to introduce that to the House and what
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: debate and passage they see. But we certainly hear the
• 3:15
  Speaker 2: urgency from Territorians and that will be taking into account.
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: The Chief Minister said last Monday that he wants this
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: to He does want it to go through in May.
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: I mean, is this going to pass on urgency in May?
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: So in terms of urgency, just for your listeners, what
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: that would mean is that the legislation would be introduced
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: and then it would be debated and passed in that
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: same parliamentary sitting. So we certainly sense the urgency from Territorians,
• 3:40
  Speaker 2: and I assume the Ministry is working hard to that timeframe.
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: But as I said, it would be a question specifically
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: for them.
• 3:46
  Speaker 3: Which minister is it, Which minister is responsible for it?
• 3:49
  Speaker 2: So some of it falls under police and some of
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: it falls under Youth justice, is my understanding.
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: I mean as a minister of the Gunner government, though,
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: do you feel as though this needs to pass as
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: quickly as possible to try to help Territorians to avoid
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: a situation like we're in from the weekend.
• 4:06
  Speaker 2: Yes, Katie, I do, but we also need to make
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: sure that we get it right. There's nothing that would
• 4:10
  Speaker 2: be worse than rushing through legislation and not having been thorough.
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: So we certainly understand that sense of urgency. We want
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: to get that done urgently, but we have to get
• 4:20
  Speaker 2: it right.
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: Okay, I have there's plenty of messages starting to come
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: through already, but I do want to move along because
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: I want to ask you about the vaccine roll out.
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: How many vaccines have now been administered in the Northern Territory.
• 4:33
  Speaker 2: So, Katie, the latest figures that I've been provided this
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: morning is that we've had over eleven thousand vaccinations administered
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: in the territory and the breakdown of doubt is around
• 4:41
  Speaker 2: eight thousand, seven hundred have been delivered by NTE Health
• 4:43
  Speaker 2: and around two thsy three hundred by the Commonwealth through
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: both the Age Care, Disability and GP program. And we
• 4:50
  Speaker 2: also have got over two thousand Territorians Katie, that have
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: received their second dose, so they're fully vaccinated against COVID nineteen.
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: Now is that in line with the timeline that you
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: guys had set out?
• 5:01
  Speaker 2: So, Katie, we've been working hard towards the timeframe of
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: having everyone vaccinated by October. The Commonwealth have said that
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: we should aim to have everyone having their first dose
• 5:10
  Speaker 2: by October, and we're still working towards that. The church's challenge, Katie,
• 5:14
  Speaker 2: has always been our large geographical distance, but we've done
• 5:17
  Speaker 2: a huge body of work around making sure that we
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: get the vaccine out into regional the remote areas. So
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: the vaccine has been delivered in Noulan Boy, Catherine TANet
• 5:25
  Speaker 2: Creek and of course Alice Springs, and during April we'll
• 5:28
  Speaker 2: start to deliver the vaccine in some of those smaller,
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: more remote locations. But the groundwork is being done now,
• 5:34
  Speaker 2: and that means we go into a community, we meet
• 5:37
  Speaker 2: with the community, we make sure they understand the vaccine
• 5:40
  Speaker 2: and how important it is, and if we have to
• 5:42
  Speaker 2: go back a second and third time, Katie, we will.
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: Whilst we're there, we also look at the logistics of
• 5:46
  Speaker 2: delivering that vaccine. We have to be COVID face in
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: our management of providing the vaccine. So all of that
• 5:51
  Speaker 2: work's being undertaken and we're looking forward to starting to
• 5:54
  Speaker 2: visit those communities and actually provide the vaccine through April.
• 5:57
  Speaker 3: So at this point in time, are there here in
• 6:00
  Speaker 3: the Northern Territory.
• 6:02
  Speaker 2: Katie, I don't feel that there are. We certainly have
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: seen some supply issues from Europe, so Astra Zeneca, we've
• 6:09
  Speaker 2: seen delays there. But from our perspective, we were always
• 6:13
  Speaker 2: going to start slow and steady, and we wanted to
• 6:15
  Speaker 2: get our one A frontline work who's vaccinated. We've achieved
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: the majority of those one A workers. Of course, there's
• 6:21
  Speaker 2: the workforces forever changing, there's new people joining, some people
• 6:24
  Speaker 2: might have been on leave. But I feel that we've
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: done a strong job. We don't have that community transmission
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: so that we can take the time to get it right,
• 6:32
  Speaker 2: but we do know there is a sense of evergency
• 6:35
  Speaker 2: in that we want to get back to life, you know,
• 6:37
  Speaker 2: pre COVID as best we can, and so the vaccines
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: are important tool in doing that.
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: So when will all those remaining clinics be set up
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: to vaccinate everybody, all the ones that you know, the
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: others that would do to be set up. Is that
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: process still underway, Katie.
• 6:51
  Speaker 2: So I don't have the actual clinics in front of me,
• 6:53
  Speaker 2: but for any of your listeners, and I know people
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: are really interested in this. If you go to the
• 6:56
  Speaker 2: federal government Department of Health website, you answer three quick
• 6:59
  Speaker 2: questions and it puts you in which phase you are,
• 7:02
  Speaker 2: and also where best to get the vaccination and you
• 7:05
  Speaker 2: might find that your local GP clinic does provide it,
• 7:08
  Speaker 2: or you might have to go to a nearby clinic.
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: Around a dozen clinics GP practices in the territory are
• 7:14
  Speaker 2: already offering the vaccine, and in the next couple of
• 7:16
  Speaker 2: weeks around a dozen more will also be providing that.
• 7:20
  Speaker 2: I was speaking to someone yesterday who said that they
• 7:22
  Speaker 2: were a bit surprised. They had a relatively easy experience.
• 7:25
  Speaker 2: They rang up and their GP was able to book
• 7:27
  Speaker 2: them in and they're getting the vaccine there within the
• 7:30
  Speaker 2: next week and they're really pleased to be able to
• 7:32
  Speaker 2: go to their regular GP. They had some other underlying
• 7:34
  Speaker 2: health issues, So encourage people to visit that Federal Government
• 7:37
  Speaker 2: Department of Health website. We'll send the links through to
• 7:39
  Speaker 2: your team, but also contact their GP clinic to find
• 7:42
  Speaker 2: out are they providing it or where's the best location.
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: Now, Minister, it is being reported nationally that there's a
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: delay in the role out at pharmacy, So Australian pharmacists
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: say that they'll not start administering that COVID nineteen jab
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: until June. As the country's delayed vaccine roll out suffers.
• 7:58
  Speaker 1: Yet another blow is what's being reported is that the case.
• 8:02
  Speaker 3: For the Northern Territory.
• 8:03
  Speaker 1: Are we going to be in a situation where pharmacies
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: are actually able to deliver that vaccine and is that process,
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: I mean, is it on track to start soon.
• 8:13
  Speaker 2: So pharmacy is in pharmacists, trained health professionals. They are
• 8:16
  Speaker 2: a key part of vaccination schedules, you know, year round.
• 8:20
  Speaker 2: I've had conversations with pharmacists in the territory and they
• 8:23
  Speaker 2: are certainly a part of the COVID nineteen vaccine response.
• 8:27
  Speaker 2: My understanding is they're a little further down the schedule, Katie.
• 8:30
  Speaker 2: I don't have the specifics in front of me around
• 8:32
  Speaker 2: what phase they were going to come online. We know
• 8:35
  Speaker 2: that some pharmacists are able to provide that they have
• 8:39
  Speaker 2: this space, they can provide that additional area for people
• 8:42
  Speaker 2: to wait after the vaccine, and so they've been doing
• 8:44
  Speaker 2: some of that logistical work with pharmacies and when it
• 8:47
  Speaker 2: was appropriate for them to come online and start issuing
• 8:50
  Speaker 2: the vaccine, they would. I'd have to get back to
• 8:52
  Speaker 2: you on specifics around what you've just mentioned with them
• 8:55
  Speaker 2: being pushed back to June nationally.
• 8:57
  Speaker 1: Okay, So but it is still going to be happening
• 8:59
  Speaker 1: in the two territory and you feel as though everything's
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: on track at this point.
• 9:04
  Speaker 2: So Katie, as I just said, pharmasister a key rollout
• 9:07
  Speaker 2: for all vaccines and I see them playing a role
• 9:09
  Speaker 2: in COVID nineteen. We've had those discussions with them, but
• 9:12
  Speaker 2: they're certainly logistics that we have to work through and
• 9:15
  Speaker 2: so we'll continue to do that.
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: Okay, there's a lot of talk this morning that Australia
• 9:19
  Speaker 1: is going to open to New Zealand today for travel.
• 9:22
  Speaker 3: What is nty tourism being told at this point, So.
• 9:27
  Speaker 2: It would be really exciting for you know, more people
• 9:30
  Speaker 2: to come to the territory. And we know that the
• 9:33
  Speaker 2: federal government has certainly flagged that two way travel bubble
• 9:37
  Speaker 2: with New Zealand for some time, but there is commentary
• 9:40
  Speaker 2: coming through that it should be finalized by the end
• 9:41
  Speaker 2: of the week. So we're expecting the New Zealand Prime
• 9:44
  Speaker 2: Minister to make an announcement. So if we were to
• 9:46
  Speaker 2: see that, we certainly would make sure that we pivot
• 9:49
  Speaker 2: tourism in the territory across to New Zealand. They have
• 9:52
  Speaker 2: an amazing natural landscape and certainly would appreciate what is
• 9:56
  Speaker 2: offered in the territory with some of our icons in
• 9:59
  Speaker 2: Ularo for Examp Kakadu, so exciting that we possibly during
• 10:03
  Speaker 2: April will see that travel bubble open.
• 10:05
  Speaker 3: Minister.
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: Would there be any capacity that we could end up
• 10:08
  Speaker 1: with a direct flight to from New Zealand, Katie?
• 10:13
  Speaker 2: I think that it's certainly been discussed and airlines and
• 10:17
  Speaker 2: airport officials have looked at at but it does seem
• 10:19
  Speaker 2: a little difficult. But what we'd really like to see
• 10:21
  Speaker 2: is the co alignment of the schedule. So for example,
• 10:25
  Speaker 2: flights you know through Sydney and Brisbane, can they align
• 10:27
  Speaker 2: with the flight through to Darwin and Aura Springs. That
• 10:30
  Speaker 2: certainly I think would be achievable, and making sure that
• 10:33
  Speaker 2: people don't have to overnight, which then is a deterrent,
• 10:36
  Speaker 2: particularly as people are looking in this sort of COVID
• 10:39
  Speaker 2: space to travel directly to their destination, to limit that
• 10:43
  Speaker 2: time that they could simply just transit in an airport
• 10:45
  Speaker 2: and get through to the territory. That's certainly what I'd
• 10:47
  Speaker 2: be working with airlines.
• 10:48
  Speaker 3: Around all right, Minister.
• 10:49
  Speaker 1: One other topic I'm very keen to speak to you
• 10:51
  Speaker 1: about this morning over the weekend. We know that takeaway
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: alcohol alcohol came to an end at the Waterfront.
• 10:58
  Speaker 3: Why has that being stopped?
• 11:02
  Speaker 2: Yeah, Katie, something that was certainly, you know, a COVID measure.
• 11:06
  Speaker 2: When we saw restaurants that we couldn't even attend a restaurant,
• 11:09
  Speaker 2: those emergency provisions were brought in. The Director of Licensings
• 11:12
  Speaker 2: had numerous conversations with the venues at the Waterfront and
• 11:15
  Speaker 2: the Waterfront Corporation itself, and I'm confident we'll find a solution.
• 11:19
  Speaker 2: We're not sure at present whether that will be through
• 11:22
  Speaker 2: Director's approval, liquor commission process or legislative change, but I
• 11:26
  Speaker 2: think that we can all agree that it was something
• 11:28
  Speaker 2: that came out of COVID. You know, we put those
• 11:30
  Speaker 2: measures in place to keep the community safe, but in
• 11:33
  Speaker 2: turn has provided other opportunities. So well, I'm very confident
• 11:36
  Speaker 2: that we'll come up with a solution working through with
• 11:39
  Speaker 2: the Waterfront and those venues.
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: But I mean, was it causing any issues, Like, was
• 11:42
  Speaker 1: there any concern in terms of alcohol fueled violence or
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: anything like that for us to really be in a
• 11:48
  Speaker 1: situation where we then stop that delivery service or that
• 11:52
  Speaker 1: you know, being able to actually just have a drink
• 11:54
  Speaker 1: with your meal down there at the waterfront.
• 11:57
  Speaker 2: So, Katie, where the provision came from was that the
• 12:00
  Speaker 2: Director of Licensing was able to vary licensed conditions because
• 12:04
  Speaker 2: of the emergency situation that rare in. And yes, the
• 12:07
  Speaker 2: COVID pandemic emergency continues in a broader sense, but as
• 12:11
  Speaker 2: I said, when restaurants were shut down and they were
• 12:13
  Speaker 2: only doing takeaway food, it meant that they could provide
• 12:16
  Speaker 2: a small amount of alcohol to go with that food.
• 12:19
  Speaker 2: And so that sense of the emergency has passed that
• 12:22
  Speaker 2: we're able to now go to restaurants. But I think
• 12:24
  Speaker 2: we've enjoyed that, and we've COVID taught us something fun,
• 12:28
  Speaker 2: I guess, Katie, And so we'd like to see that
• 12:30
  Speaker 2: provision continue, but we do need to make changes, and
• 12:33
  Speaker 2: it's either within from the Director of Licensing, whether it
• 12:36
  Speaker 2: goes back to the liquor Commissioner, whether it is a
• 12:38
  Speaker 2: legislative change. So in terms of why it's stopped now
• 12:42
  Speaker 2: was because it was provided in legal advice that that
• 12:45
  Speaker 2: component of the emergency was not continuing had stopped, and
• 12:50
  Speaker 2: so it wasn't appropriate to allow that variation of licensed
• 12:53
  Speaker 2: condition anymore.
• 12:54
  Speaker 3: So in your opinion.
• 12:55
  Speaker 1: I mean, do you think that realistically we should be
• 12:58
  Speaker 1: able to go back to a situation where alcohol can
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: be served there or can be delivered there.
• 13:05
  Speaker 2: If licensees want to see a continuation of the very
• 13:08
  Speaker 2: licensed condition that they enjoy during the pandemic, then they
• 13:11
  Speaker 2: can submit an application to the Liquor Commission. The Director
• 13:14
  Speaker 2: of Licensing Kating, is working very closely not only with
• 13:17
  Speaker 2: those individual licenses down at the waterfront, but the Waterfront
• 13:20
  Speaker 2: Corporation itself, so that we can have consideration of a
• 13:24
  Speaker 2: permanent license change.
• 13:25
  Speaker 1: What about more broadly for those businesses that had been
• 13:28
  Speaker 1: delivering food obviously not just at the waterfront, but more
• 13:31
  Speaker 1: generally around the Northern territory, and it had also been
• 13:34
  Speaker 1: part of that provision that they could deliver cocktails as
• 13:38
  Speaker 1: well and deliver alcohol as well.
• 13:41
  Speaker 2: We need to be careful, Katie, because different licenses attract
• 13:44
  Speaker 2: different criteria and that they cost different amounts, and we
• 13:49
  Speaker 2: don't want to see license creep where someone has a
• 13:52
  Speaker 2: license that's intended for one product and they start to
• 13:54
  Speaker 2: creep into another area. But at the same time, I
• 13:57
  Speaker 2: think we did the innovation and we should allow licensing
• 14:00
  Speaker 2: through the proper processes to look at that and how
• 14:02
  Speaker 2: it can continue post the emergency aspect of licensing.
• 14:06
  Speaker 1: I mean, we're not talking about people delivering like a
• 14:08
  Speaker 1: carton of berh We we're talking about people being able
• 14:11
  Speaker 1: to order two cocktails, let's say, with their meal delivery
• 14:16
  Speaker 1: to their home.
• 14:17
  Speaker 2: And that you raise a really important point there. We
• 14:19
  Speaker 2: need to be really careful. I think there was one
• 14:22
  Speaker 2: situation where six packns and fish fingers was described. Now
• 14:24
  Speaker 2: that's not what it's about. We all know that's not
• 14:26
  Speaker 2: what it's about. So we need to make sure that
• 14:28
  Speaker 2: the license conditions are strong and that they make sure
• 14:31
  Speaker 2: we don't see license creep into other areas that they
• 14:34
  Speaker 2: weren't originally designed for.
• 14:35
  Speaker 1: And so what's going to be the option here is
• 14:37
  Speaker 1: this going to be Is it a situation where those
• 14:40
  Speaker 1: businesses now have to reapply to be able to change
• 14:43
  Speaker 1: their license to include this, or is it something that
• 14:46
  Speaker 1: the government is going to look at as to whether
• 14:48
  Speaker 1: there should be a provision in place to allow businesses
• 14:51
  Speaker 1: to actually be able to expand this to this area.
• 14:55
  Speaker 2: So, Katy, we're not exactly sure. So they're looking at
• 14:59
  Speaker 2: it in a very intense manner, working with the Waterfront
• 15:01
  Speaker 2: Corporation who broadly have that area as well as those licensees,
• 15:05
  Speaker 2: and whether it's something that the Director of Licensing can
• 15:08
  Speaker 2: make that adaption, or if it does need to go
• 15:10
  Speaker 2: back to the Leaguer Commission, or it may need a
• 15:12
  Speaker 2: legislative change. But I'm confident we'll find a solution. I
• 15:15
  Speaker 2: think that it was something innovative and fun and people
• 15:18
  Speaker 2: really enjoyed. We do need to make sure that we
• 15:20
  Speaker 2: protect the community from any harm, but I'm confident will
• 15:22
  Speaker 2: come up with a long term solution.
• 15:24
  Speaker 1: All right, Minister for Health and also Tourism. We appreciate
• 15:27
  Speaker 1: your time this morning. Thanks so much for speaking with us.
• 15:29
  Speaker 2: Thank you.
• 15:30
  Speaker 3: That was Natasha Philes there