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

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Well, you have heard from the Health Minister, Natasha Files
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: about these changes to Howard Springs and the vaccine roll out.
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  Speaker 1: Now joining me in the studio is the leader of
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  Speaker 1: the opposition, Leah Fanokii. Oh, good morning to you, Good morning, Katie,
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  Speaker 1: and to your listeners. Now Leah, firstley, what were your
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  Speaker 1: thoughts following on from those changes out at Howard Springs
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  Speaker 1: that were announced over the weekend that we're now well
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  Speaker 1: not going to allow interstate visitors or interstatus to stay
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  Speaker 1: there if they're on their way, let's say, to work
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  Speaker 1: at a mine in Western Australia or somewhere else.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, certainly big news, big decision from the government and
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  Speaker 2: a big change to what everyone's used to. Given the
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  Speaker 2: nature of it, we've requested a briefing from both the
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  Speaker 2: federal Health Minister and of course the territory Health Minister,
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  Speaker 2: so my colleague Bill Yen will be getting that information
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  Speaker 2: for the team so that we can better understand it ourselves.
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  Speaker 1: Now, have you had discussions at this point with your
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  Speaker 1: federal counterparts about the announcement or.
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  Speaker 2: You're still sort of waiting for We're still waiting for
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  Speaker 2: that information to come through, Katie.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, So have you actually spoken to your federal counterparts
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  Speaker 1: or colleagues at this point in time.
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  Speaker 2: Yet my understanding is no, but I know that will
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  Speaker 2: be happening this week.
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  Speaker 1: Okay. Now, we do know that data has been gained
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  Speaker 1: by the Northern Territory News and it's actually revealed that
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  Speaker 1: as of June thirty, there were one eight hundred and
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  Speaker 1: thirty three quarantine free bills well unpaid after ninety days
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  Speaker 1: from the seven nine hundred and thirty which had been
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  Speaker 1: issued by the Northern Territory Health Department two domestic travelers.
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  Speaker 1: Do you reckon that this is maybe the real reason
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  Speaker 1: that the government's changed the eligibility for people to stay
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  Speaker 1: at Howard Springs. Look, it might be.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, certainly those numbers are really really startling. You know,
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  Speaker 2: if people are utilizing a facility, you've got to pay
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  Speaker 2: your own way. That's always been very very clear. I
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  Speaker 2: don't think anyone would rock up to Howard Springs and
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  Speaker 2: not know that they have to pay two and a
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  Speaker 2: half thousand dollars. It's been well publicized for a very
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  Speaker 2: very long time. So I guess the question with that is, now,
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  Speaker 2: how is the government going to be able to recover
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  Speaker 2: and recoup that cost, because, of course, as we know,
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  Speaker 2: the two and a half thousand doesn't cover the actual
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  Speaker 2: cost of having someone stay at the facility.
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  Speaker 1: Now we know that yesterday fifteen people were actually refused
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  Speaker 1: to entry at the Darwin Airport. Eight people departed within
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  Speaker 1: two hours, while the other seven are booked on flights
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  Speaker 1: today and were accommodated overnight at the Center four National Resilience.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, what are your thoughts on this? Do you
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  Speaker 1: feel as though it's a little bit heavy handed or
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  Speaker 1: do you think that it's reasonable.
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  Speaker 2: Well, look, until we have all of the information, I
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  Speaker 2: really I don't want to speculate. I mean, the government
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  Speaker 2: has made a decision. You know, they've obviously got all
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  Speaker 2: of the health advice, all of the information they need
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  Speaker 2: to come to that decision. I'm sure it was really
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  Speaker 2: distressing for the people who arrived. I mean, you could
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  Speaker 2: imagine the turmoil that that would have. You could just
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  Speaker 2: imagine if you had good kids there and it just
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  Speaker 2: would have been an absolute nightmare. So of course, you know,
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  Speaker 2: we're absolutely empathetic, you know, for the experience people would
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  Speaker 2: have had. But ultimately, until I've got that information, Katie,
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  Speaker 2: you know, the government's the governments had to make it
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  Speaker 2: call here it sounds like Howard Springs is at capacity
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  Speaker 2: and that you know, what can you do?
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, well, we'll keep on to it. We know that
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  Speaker 1: obviously Parliament is sitting again today in the Northern Territory
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  Speaker 1: for two weeks. No doubt it's going to be an
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  Speaker 1: interesting two weeks. There has been a lot on the
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  Speaker 1: agenda in recent times when Parliament last sat, well the
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  Speaker 1: final day or on the friday after Parliament had sat.
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  Speaker 1: We know that the Ikak report into the dar and
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  Speaker 1: Turf Club was handed down. I've no doubt that that's
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  Speaker 1: something that's will and truly on the opposition's agenda.
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  Speaker 2: Without question, Katie. Today marks the first opportunity for the
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  Speaker 2: Parliament to scrutinize the Gunner government on giving away twelve
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  Speaker 2: million dollars for the Grand Standard. So we will certainly
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  Speaker 2: be using our opportunities in Parliament to ask the tough
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  Speaker 2: questions of the Chief Minister around why he took it
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  Speaker 2: under the arm into cabinet, why it didn't follow proper
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  Speaker 2: cabinet processes, why they decided to give away twelve million dollars,
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  Speaker 2: particularly at that time when of course ardih was in
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  Speaker 2: crisis that we're making principles have pay freezers, and you
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  Speaker 2: know it's not dissimilar to the situation we're in right now, Katie,
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  Speaker 2: with everything that's happening of course at ardi H So yeah,
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  Speaker 2: plenty on the agenda and the giving away of that
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  Speaker 2: twelve million dollars is going to be very upfront in
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  Speaker 2: our minds about getting Michael Gunnar to answer some questions.
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  Speaker 1: Look, I do want to talk about that code yellow
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  Speaker 1: in just a moment, but we understand that the Darwin
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  Speaker 1: Turf Club had that special general meeting overnight the board.
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  Speaker 1: Will the board voted, they spilled the board, so they're
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  Speaker 1: now looking to fill ten positions on that board by
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  Speaker 1: what I'm being told at this point in time, the
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  Speaker 1: ballot goes out tomorrow, August twenty four is when we'll
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  Speaker 1: now know exactly who's voted in for that board. But
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  Speaker 1: there did seem to be a stepping back. I think
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  Speaker 1: you'd have to say from the Chief Minister over the
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  Speaker 1: weekend during a press conference that he held around those
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  Speaker 1: calls Will firstly when the Ikak report was firstly handed down,
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  Speaker 1: saying that he expected all of those members to resign
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  Speaker 1: and would be changing legislation if they did. You were
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  Speaker 1: incredibly critical of this last week and said, what about
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  Speaker 1: every gymnastics club, swimming club, whatever club with ir volunteers
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  Speaker 1: should that really impact them? Are you pleased that he
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  Speaker 1: now seems to be stepping back.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, he's backpedaled a bit, but he hasn't ruled it
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  Speaker 2: out absolutely, and I think that's still a concern. I mean, ultimately,
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  Speaker 2: most people don't think Michael Gunner should be the chief minister,
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  Speaker 2: let alone have enough power to decide he can walk
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  Speaker 2: around in He did get reelection, sure he did, but
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  Speaker 2: you know, I think people question his leadership capability, his
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  Speaker 2: ability to tell the truth. I mean, he's certainly been
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  Speaker 2: spinning some interesting stories about his involvement in the turf club,
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  Speaker 2: that's for sure, Katie, And I think giving Michael Gunner
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  Speaker 2: more power is possibly the scariest thing you could think
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  Speaker 2: of at this point in time. I mean, you know,
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  Speaker 2: there are over sixteen hundred associations in the Northern Territory.
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  Speaker 2: They are good people volunteering their time, running you know,
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  Speaker 2: canteens at the soccer club and doing all these different things.
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  Speaker 2: And for Michael to be able to wake up one
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  Speaker 2: morning and decide oh, I don't like you anymore and
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  Speaker 2: get rid of you. It's just craziness. So I'm glad
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  Speaker 2: he's walked it back, but he needs to rule it
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  Speaker 2: out completely.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, I guess we will see more on this throughout
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  Speaker 1: the week and throughout next week. You put in two
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  Speaker 1: hundred or more than two hundred written questions on this,
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  Speaker 1: didn't you.
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  Speaker 2: We did, and we're expecting those back on Wednesday or Thursday.
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  Speaker 2: So we'll be expecting the Gunner government to stick to
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  Speaker 2: the timeframe. That's when they're due back. That's when they
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  Speaker 2: should come back. We don't want to see government pushing
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  Speaker 2: off these written questions to after sitting so that they
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  Speaker 2: don't have to face the music in the Parliament.
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  Speaker 1: I'll be very interested to see what they come back with.
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  Speaker 1: Clear just on the Code yellow, we know that it
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  Speaker 1: was actually lifted yesterday. Are you concerned though there is
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  Speaker 1: pressure on the department at the moment, And do you
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  Speaker 1: think that the Howard Springs facility is having an impact
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  Speaker 1: on our hospitals in any way? Yeah?
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  Speaker 2: Well, and they're good questions that we don't know that
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  Speaker 2: we are certainly going to get to the bottom of. Ultimately,
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  Speaker 2: this is the second time this year that Royal Darwin
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  Speaker 2: Hospital has been in Code yellow. We're hearing from staff
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  Speaker 2: that they are seriously understand strain and pressure. Of course,
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  Speaker 2: you know, I know someone who yesterday went in to
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  Speaker 2: the hospital was waiting two hours for their appointment and
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  Speaker 2: then had to leave because they couldn't get to it.
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  Speaker 2: The staff there just seemed extraordinarily busy. I mean, just
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  Speaker 2: you know, when you can see in someone's face that
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  Speaker 2: they are just giving it one hundred and fifty percent,
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  Speaker 2: you know, And so we really feel for what's happening
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  Speaker 2: out there. No clinician or medical professional wants to see
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  Speaker 2: people in pain or who are sick not getting the
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  Speaker 2: support they need and the fact that they're being hampered
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  Speaker 2: is just so sad. And we still don't know what
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  Speaker 2: role Parmeston Hospital is playing to alleviate that.
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  Speaker 1: We also know though Palmerston Hospital last week we had
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  Speaker 1: it confirmed that forty renal patients had to be transferred
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  Speaker 1: out of the Palmerston Hospital due to a plumbing issue.
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  Speaker 1: So you know, when you take that into account, you
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  Speaker 1: do wonder what kind of impact this type of thing
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  Speaker 1: then has on the health system.
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  Speaker 2: More broadly, absolutely, and what about all those people whose
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  Speaker 2: elective surgery has got cancered. I mean, what's the status
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  Speaker 2: for those people are that Are they getting in quickly now?
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  Speaker 2: Have they been pushed back a number of months? I
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  Speaker 2: mean it has a profound impact. This is our tertiary hospital.
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  Speaker 2: We are in remote jurisdiction, and we have fantastic smaller
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  Speaker 2: hospitals around the territory and also our tremendous health clinics
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  Speaker 2: which do the lions share. But ultimately, when you are very,
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  Speaker 2: very sick, worlddo In Hospital is our only tertiary hospital
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  Speaker 2: and it has to be just functioning at optimum levels.
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  Speaker 1: Lea. We are going to have to get ready to
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  Speaker 1: wrap up. But I do also want to just touch
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  Speaker 1: on the fact that last week you and I and
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  Speaker 1: Kate Warden and obviously Kesiopuric in the week that was
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  Speaker 1: discussed fairly extensively Gary Haslett allegedly being assaulted and the
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  Speaker 1: impact I've also read in the paper today mortifyingly the
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  Speaker 1: an elderly man in a wheelchair has been targeted two
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  Speaker 1: times over the last few days. So I have no
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  Speaker 1: doubt that you will be talking abo about some of
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  Speaker 1: the impacts that we're having in the territory around crime oh,
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  Speaker 1: without question.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, of course we've got the thirty five five
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  Speaker 2: million dollars giveaway for compo for don Dale detainees, which
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  Speaker 2: has just you know, fallen absolutely flat with Territorians. People
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  Speaker 2: just think that it's not the right move. We've got
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  Speaker 2: big questions for Kate Warden around who signed off on
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  Speaker 2: the thirty five million, who instructed their lawyers, who from
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  Speaker 2: government instructed the lawyers to try and suppress that figure.
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  Speaker 2: Of course, victimization rates across the territory are very very high.
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  Speaker 2: One of the youth offenders we now know on the
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  Speaker 2: attack on Alderman Haslett was on bail at the time
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  Speaker 2: of the offending or has been charged with breach of BAO,
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  Speaker 2: whatever that situation might be. And of course that elderly gentlemen,
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  Speaker 2: I mean as seniors are vulnerable Territorians. They're people who
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  Speaker 2: should be respected in our community. And to have had
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  Speaker 2: a home invasion like that just last week and only
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  Speaker 2: to experienced it again, I mean, I'm pretty sure in
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  Speaker 2: the paper last week the gentleman's wife was saying, I'm
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  Speaker 2: really worried this person's going to come back, and now look.
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  Speaker 1: You it is just devastating. It is really devastating. How
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  Speaker 1: can you recover from that?
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  Speaker 2: I mean, the impact on victims is so profound, and
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  Speaker 2: I think they just feel forgotten in this narrative. You know,
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  Speaker 2: we're always talking about all the gunner. Government's always talking
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  Speaker 2: about the offender, and what about victims who have lifelong,
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  Speaker 2: lasting impacts from what's happened to them. It's just a disgrace.
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  Speaker 1: Well, Leo Finocchiaro, we better leave it there. I know
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  Speaker 1: it's a busy day for you. We will catch up
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  Speaker 1: with you again later in the week. We usually catch
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  Speaker 1: up with you on a Wednesday as well. Thank you
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  Speaker 1: very much for your time. We'll talk to you again then.
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  Speaker 2: Take care everyone.
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  Speaker 1: You're listening to Mix one O four point nine's three
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  Speaker 1: sixty