Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / NT Chief Minister Natasha Fyles says government schools will not foot the bill to deliver a pay rise to teachers and assistants

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NT Chief Minister Natasha Fyles says government schools will not foot the bill to deliver a pay rise to teachers and assistants · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Now issues in Alice Springs have caused serious concerns for
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: months now, and we last week heard about that surge
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: in additional police and the impact that it's having.
• 0:08
  Speaker 2: Well.
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: The Northern Territory Government has this morning set to announce
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: its Saltbush Social Enterprise will partner with the government to
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: increase safe spaces for children through the Safe Place Accommodation
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: and Support Program in Alice Springs. The program will provide
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: expanded temporary accommodation for young people who are out at night, unsupervised,
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: considered to be at risk and who have nowhere it's
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: safe to go. The Chief Minister, Natasha Files joins me
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: on the line right now from Alice Springs.
• 0:38
  Speaker 3: Good morning to your Chief Minister.
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie, Good morning Rismith.
• 0:42
  Speaker 3: Now what will this service provide exactly?
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: So, Katie, this program will be temporary accommodation for young
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: people who are ab at night, unsupervised and behaving in
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: a way that places themselves or the community at risk
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: and they have nowhere else safe to go. So this
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: has come directly from feedback on police and from the
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: non government organizations that provide support services in Central Australia.
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: But sometimes we need to have a circuit breaker location
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: or that evening to take a young person. And I
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: give you a couple of practical examples. If they can't
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: find a safe place to take that young person that evening,
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: or they take the young person to what they believe
• 1:20
  Speaker 2: is a safe place and leave them more than adults,
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: but within an hour or two they find them back
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: out on the streets. Again, this provides that circuit breaker.
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: So will people know the location or is it an
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: actual new accommodation location.
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: So Katie, we will be discreet about the location. It
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: will be more than one location. The reason for that
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: is it is a place where we're taking young people.
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: We need to think of their safety. But we also
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: need to have multiple locations so that we can manage
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: girls and boys in different ages. But Salt Bush Social
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: Enterprises have partnered with us to deliver this accommodation and
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: support program.
• 1:56
  Speaker 3: So is it a new service.
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: This is a new service. So Alice Springs is an
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: absolute priority for me and my government. We've always said
• 2:04
  Speaker 2: we need short term measures, long term measures, and this
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: is us. As I just said, we're hearing from police
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: and NGOs around young people in the evening and that
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: safe place and so this is a solution. If it works, fantastic,
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: but we cannot not try a measure, and so that's why.
• 2:20
  Speaker 3: We're doing this, and what if it doesn't work.
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: So Katie was stepping into this hopeful that this will
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: fill that gap that has been identified. But we will
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: continue to work in this space. As I just said,
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: there's short term, long term. We cannot turn our back.
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: We need to do the hard work in this situation.
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: I understand this, you know, I think most people will
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: be pretty practical about this and go, do you know what.
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: It seems as though it's going to be a good idea.
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: We need to make sure that kids are off the
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: street and if it is a matter of them not
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: having somewhere safe to go, well, hopefully this has an impact.
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: There will be others that are seeing this as an
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: intervention measure and taking children away from their kid, taking
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: parents children away from their parents. I should say, I mean,
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: what do you say to those people that are concerned
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: about that intervention.
• 3:08
  Speaker 2: So we've looked very carefully at this, and Katie, in
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: the first instance, we will always try and get these
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: young people home, but we need to have an immediate
• 3:16
  Speaker 2: safe place for young people and sometimes it is just
• 3:19
  Speaker 2: a misunderstanding that you know, someone thought that the young
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: person was with another family member and in the light
• 3:25
  Speaker 2: of day the next day they can be safely reunited
• 3:28
  Speaker 2: or there could be child neglect and child protection issues
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: that need to be looked into. So it is our responsibility, Katie,
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: not only to keep the community safe, but to also
• 3:37
  Speaker 2: keep these young people safe who then might be putting
• 3:40
  Speaker 2: themselves that risk by being out of the street late at.
• 3:43
  Speaker 3: Night in Alice Springs.
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: Well, last week we caught up with the mayor of
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: Alice Springs who've spoken to others in Alice Springs who
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: are pretty concerned about what's going to happen when that
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: surge in the police force down there moves away. What
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: are you planning over the Christmas period to help the
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: people of Alice So, Katie.
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: Northern Territory Police made an operational decision to surge forty
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: additional officers into Alice Springs to support the local police
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: on the beat. Here. Now, Katie, they certainly have made
• 4:11
  Speaker 2: in rows and whether that's the resetting and that's what
• 4:14
  Speaker 2: was needed, but operational decisions can be made from police
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: around what they do into the future. And we certainly
• 4:20
  Speaker 2: haven't sure that they've seen an increase to their resources.
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: Will you be encouraging them though, to try to keep
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: that police presence up in Alice.
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: I know that the Police Commissioner knows that Alice Springs
• 4:31
  Speaker 2: and Central Australia is an absolute priority for me and
• 4:33
  Speaker 2: for my government, and he certainly will operationalize that all right.
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: On Friday, we spoke pretty extensively about the fact that
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: laws restricting the Act and Northern Territory from legislating on
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: voluntary euthanasia were repealed after more than two decades of
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: being in place. The Restoring Territory Rights Bill passed Parliament
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: on Thursday night. It overturns that legislation that had been
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: put in place back in nineteen ninety seven. Now what's
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: the process from the Northern Territory government's perspective now.
• 5:04
  Speaker 2: Katie, Just before I answer that question, it was so
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: important for this bill to pass. Territorians know what is
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: best for the Northern Territory, not politicians in Canberra. In
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: terms of voluntary assisted dying. We did have a piece
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: of legislation in the nineties. It's not possible to simply
• 5:18
  Speaker 2: reinstate that bill it's quite antiquated, so any future legislation
• 5:23
  Speaker 2: in the Northern Territory would be done through intensive consultation
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: with old Territorians. We know that this is an important
• 5:30
  Speaker 2: issue which was previously blocked by federal policy. But now
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: we can at least have that conversation.
• 5:36
  Speaker 3: And so in.
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: Terms of timing, the Attorney General had said on the
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: show on Friday on the week that was that it
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: is something that would be you know, the processes would start,
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: but it's not going to happen until after the next
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: Northern Territory election. Why if, in your own words, it
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: is so important, So.
• 5:54
  Speaker 2: Katie, it comes to that intensive consultation that needs to
• 5:57
  Speaker 2: take place. It's extensive. The breadth of the Northern Territory
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: need to understand this issue. It is incredibly complex, Katie.
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: We have had some very significant health issues medical termination
• 6:08
  Speaker 2: and pregnancy for example, that took years of consultation drafting
• 6:13
  Speaker 2: to ensure that we got that right. If you remember
• 6:15
  Speaker 2: that key. The epiric started that process before the twenty
• 6:18
  Speaker 2: sixteen territory election. So it is something that we need
• 6:22
  Speaker 2: to take the time to get the legislation as Territorians
• 6:25
  Speaker 2: wish it to be.
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: Why do you think that they're able to get things
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: moving along so quickly in the act.
• 6:31
  Speaker 3: But we're not the same here in the territory, Katie.
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: I don't think it is a case that the APT
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: are going to get it moving quickly. I spoke to
• 6:38
  Speaker 2: their chief minister last week and they're still looking at
• 6:41
  Speaker 2: legislation just getting in before their election, which is in
• 6:45
  Speaker 2: twenty twenty four. But it's later in twenty twenty four,
• 6:47
  Speaker 2: is my understanding.
• 6:48
  Speaker 3: So after August in twenty twenty four, I.
• 6:51
  Speaker 2: Think there's this October. I could be incorrect on that,
• 6:54
  Speaker 2: but that was my understanding.
• 6:55
  Speaker 3: I know that last week.
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: I'm pretty sure that justenterprice was called a discription by
• 7:00
  Speaker 1: members of the Labor Party for raising amendments when this
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: did go to vote in the Senate. You guys are
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: now delaying this up to two years. So how are
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: your actions any better?
• 7:13
  Speaker 2: Oh, Katie, we're not delaying this. We are saying that
• 7:16
  Speaker 2: the legislation needs to be carefully considered, that there needs
• 7:19
  Speaker 2: to be extensive consultation. It is an an issue that
• 7:23
  Speaker 2: many territorians right across the Northern Territory have different views on.
• 7:27
  Speaker 2: Just since the price was appalling and her behavior. She
• 7:29
  Speaker 2: voted against territory rights in Canberra. She has one job
• 7:32
  Speaker 2: and that is to stand up for territorians and she
• 7:34
  Speaker 2: voted against that.
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: But now it's going to take us two years before
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: we even get to the point of there being a
• 7:40
  Speaker 1: conscience vote by the sounds of thanks.
• 7:43
  Speaker 2: So, Katie, I've just outlined to you why that needs
• 7:46
  Speaker 2: to take considerable time. It is an issue that we
• 7:49
  Speaker 2: do need allow important conversations. But we now have that
• 7:53
  Speaker 2: ability which was previously bocked by the federal government, and
• 7:56
  Speaker 2: we certainly will start that work.
• 7:59
  Speaker 1: So you don't reckon we're being able to do it
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: within that two year period.
• 8:03
  Speaker 2: To Katie, I've just pointed to other significant health legislation
• 8:06
  Speaker 2: which took an enormous amount of time. This is an
• 8:09
  Speaker 2: issue that we need to make sure right across the
• 8:11
  Speaker 2: Northern Territory we hear from territorians on it will be
• 8:14
  Speaker 2: a conscious vote for the Labor Party members. Katie, I've
• 8:16
  Speaker 2: been very much on the public record. I am supportive
• 8:19
  Speaker 2: of voluntary assisted dying, but we need to get out
• 8:22
  Speaker 2: there across the Northern Territory to understand the views of
• 8:25
  Speaker 2: territorians and what type of legislation that they would like
• 8:28
  Speaker 2: to be in the territory and will it be.
• 8:30
  Speaker 3: A conscious vote when the time comes.
• 8:34
  Speaker 2: Katie, Yes, for the labor members it is a conscious vote.
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: For others in the Parliament, you would have to question
• 8:40
  Speaker 2: them all right.
• 8:41
  Speaker 1: Last week we did learn of a new payoffer put
• 8:44
  Speaker 1: out on the table for our teachers. Teachers have been
• 8:47
  Speaker 1: offered a nine percent pay rise by October twenty twenty three.
• 8:50
  Speaker 1: So the latest enterprise bargaining agreement that the Northern Territory
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: Government put on the table would back pay a three
• 8:57
  Speaker 1: percent pay rise from October eleven year and well and
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: this year, and then promises a further three percent to
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: be delivered on October eleven, twenty twenty three.
• 9:07
  Speaker 3: As I understand.
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: It, Chief Minister, where is the money coming from? Will
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: it come from the current budget for schools or will
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: there be increased funding?
• 9:19
  Speaker 2: So Katie, this is something that if we can see
• 9:22
  Speaker 2: an agreement reached upon, we will take through our budget process.
• 9:25
  Speaker 2: But it will come from the overall Northern Terrectory Government
• 9:28
  Speaker 2: budget to the Department of Education, who in turn will
• 9:30
  Speaker 2: kay our teachers.
• 9:32
  Speaker 1: So schools aren't going to have to find funding find
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: additional money in their current budgets to foot any of
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: this bill.
• 9:41
  Speaker 2: So Katie, we need to be very clarified on what
• 9:44
  Speaker 2: we're speaking to. The Australian Education Union is representing teachers
• 9:48
  Speaker 2: and teacher assistance and those two roles will be funded
• 9:53
  Speaker 2: through our budget free processes as I just outlined.
• 9:55
  Speaker 1: Okay, because we did catch up with the t ME
• 9:58
  Speaker 1: men board rata, he joined us on the show last week.
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: Take a listen to a bit of what she'd had
• 10:04
  Speaker 1: to say, because there does seem to be some confusion
• 10:07
  Speaker 1: in this space.
• 10:08
  Speaker 4: Just last week, school rep bodies were informed that the
• 10:12
  Speaker 4: Department had required schools to allocate I think it was
• 10:18
  Speaker 4: two thousand dollars per teacher next year in the draft
• 10:23
  Speaker 4: twenty twenty three budgets. Now that's clearly before the revised
• 10:27
  Speaker 4: pay offer. That would mean I'm just judging on what
• 10:31
  Speaker 4: you said. It said three percent back pay from October
• 10:36
  Speaker 4: last year, three percent.
• 10:38
  Speaker 3: From October this year.
• 10:40
  Speaker 4: So that's all going to have to come out of
• 10:42
  Speaker 4: our budget, which is six percent, So that's going to
• 10:45
  Speaker 4: be significantly more. And you would recall, I asked, then
• 10:50
  Speaker 4: she's missed the gunner last November about this, and he
• 10:53
  Speaker 4: committed that no school would be worth off. Now we're
• 10:57
  Speaker 4: ninety eight thousand worth of just admin then, so we're
• 11:03
  Speaker 4: going to have to fund another six percent for teacher
• 11:07
  Speaker 4: EBA next year, where we're going to be significantly worse off,
• 11:11
  Speaker 4: which means back to the jol told the day, we'll
• 11:15
  Speaker 4: be having numbers, having clogram and everything is just roundhole day.
• 11:21
  Speaker 1: So Chief Minister, can you just explain to us exactly
• 11:24
  Speaker 1: how it's going to work, because there is clearly some
• 11:26
  Speaker 1: concerns from teachers, like from our school.
• 11:29
  Speaker 3: Sorry, at this point I.
• 11:32
  Speaker 2: Can absolutely clarify for u, Katie, and for any I know.
• 11:36
  Speaker 2: Our teachers will be in the class, they won't be
• 11:37
  Speaker 2: listening to us, but it will come through our budget process.
• 11:41
  Speaker 2: It'll come to the Department of Education to pay for
• 11:44
  Speaker 2: our teachers and our teacher assistants. There's other positions, Katie.
• 11:48
  Speaker 2: That these are the two EBAs that are being negotiated
• 11:52
  Speaker 2: with the Australian Education Union right now. Just to provide
• 11:55
  Speaker 2: that absolute clarity. It's not so much the teachers, but
• 11:57
  Speaker 2: when you talk about those teacher assistants there is some confusion.
• 12:01
  Speaker 2: But what I'm telling you is the two roles that
• 12:03
  Speaker 2: have been negotiated through the Australian Education Union will be
• 12:06
  Speaker 2: funded if we can get the teachers to agree to
• 12:09
  Speaker 2: this EBA, and we believe it's that it's a fair deal.
• 12:12
  Speaker 2: It finds that balance between giving our hardworking teachers that
• 12:15
  Speaker 2: pay rise, but at the same time managing the Northern
• 12:17
  Speaker 2: Territory budget.
• 12:18
  Speaker 1: So it's not going to come from the current school budgets,
• 12:22
  Speaker 1: as we'd spoken about with those concerns that Beverly had
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: raised last week.
• 12:27
  Speaker 3: No, all right, how much is it going to cost?
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: I think is the million dollar question at this point
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: because a lot of people think that yes, our hard
• 12:36
  Speaker 1: working public servants, our teachers, our nurses, etc. Do deserve
• 12:41
  Speaker 1: a pay increase, but how much is this going to cost,
• 12:45
  Speaker 1: specifically when we talk about teachers.
• 12:48
  Speaker 2: So, Katie, the agreements that we're negotiating, we think it
• 12:51
  Speaker 2: will cost around five to seven million dollars additional to
• 12:55
  Speaker 2: the Northern Territory government budget. But that, as I just said,
• 12:58
  Speaker 2: we are trying to find that balance between managing our
• 13:00
  Speaker 2: current budget expenditure and recognizing the hard work of our
• 13:04
  Speaker 2: frontline teachers.
• 13:05
  Speaker 1: So is that five to seven million additional per year?
• 13:10
  Speaker 2: Katie, that's a global figure I'm using. I'll get some
• 13:13
  Speaker 2: clarity for you and provide that off there. If that's okay,
• 13:16
  Speaker 2: I do apologize, okay.
• 13:17
  Speaker 1: So this deal has obviously been put on the table
• 13:19
  Speaker 1: for teachers, but what about nurses, police and other frontline
• 13:23
  Speaker 1: workers who are also lobbying the government at this point
• 13:26
  Speaker 1: in time over wages.
• 13:28
  Speaker 2: Yeah, Katie, that's a good point. So in terms of
• 13:31
  Speaker 2: we have the wages policy which is two percent, but
• 13:34
  Speaker 2: the teachers were able to negotiate around that. They gave
• 13:40
  Speaker 2: up some other items which allowed it to be a
• 13:42
  Speaker 2: three percent pay increase. And so this is negotiations the nurses,
• 13:46
  Speaker 2: for example, As Health Minister, I'm very keen our nurses
• 13:49
  Speaker 2: work incredibly hard and so the Minister for Public Employment
• 13:53
  Speaker 2: and the OCP Commissioner for Public Employment have been working
• 13:57
  Speaker 2: with the unions that represent nurses and other unions around
• 14:01
  Speaker 2: how we can resolve those agreements. They're very varied across
• 14:05
  Speaker 2: the different agreements that are being worked through.
• 14:08
  Speaker 1: All right, we'll be keen to get an update on
• 14:09
  Speaker 1: those as a progress, Chief Minister, just before I let
• 14:13
  Speaker 1: you go this morning. Obviously, the former Chief Health Officer
• 14:16
  Speaker 1: Hugh Hegey, appointed as the new administrator last week, who'd
• 14:20
  Speaker 1: made that decision.
• 14:23
  Speaker 2: Well, this is something that had been in train for
• 14:25
  Speaker 2: some time, Katie. It's a process that goes with the
• 14:28
  Speaker 2: Commonwealth Government and the Governor General, and so that was
• 14:31
  Speaker 2: in train when I became the Chief Minister. We would
• 14:34
  Speaker 2: have liked to have announced it earlier, but we obviously
• 14:38
  Speaker 2: saw the Commonwealth Government go to a federal election which
• 14:41
  Speaker 2: had a caretaker period and it just delayed the overall process.
• 14:44
  Speaker 1: So it was already the plans are already in place
• 14:47
  Speaker 1: when you came in as the Chief Minister, correct.
• 14:50
  Speaker 2: But I think that Hugh Hagey will be a great administrator.
• 14:53
  Speaker 2: He's someone that has lived in various parts of the
• 14:55
  Speaker 2: territory and so we certainly congratulate him on his appointment.
• 15:00
  Speaker 1: I'm in the community do see this as been quite
• 15:02
  Speaker 1: a political appointment given the fact that he was the
• 15:05
  Speaker 1: person tasked with making very tough decisions around COVID.
• 15:10
  Speaker 3: Was it a political.
• 15:10
  Speaker 2: Appointment, No, Katie. It's looking at someone that understands the
• 15:15
  Speaker 2: breadth and depth of the Northern territory and I think
• 15:17
  Speaker 2: those attributes will serve him well in that role.
• 15:20
  Speaker 1: And we know that obviously the outgoing administrator, Vicky O'Halleran, well,
• 15:25
  Speaker 1: she finishes up.
• 15:26
  Speaker 3: I think it's the beginning of next year. Is that correct?
• 15:30
  Speaker 2: Yes, Katie, her term was meant to end at the
• 15:32
  Speaker 2: end of October, but as I just highlighted, there were
• 15:34
  Speaker 2: some delays for unsufeeable circumstances, and so she has been
• 15:38
  Speaker 2: extended to the end of January. And I certainly thank
• 15:41
  Speaker 2: her for all her service and will be formally acknowledging her.
• 15:45
  Speaker 1: Well, Chief Minister, we appreciate you having a chat to
• 15:47
  Speaker 1: us from Alice Springs today. I believe you're all so
• 15:49
  Speaker 1: off to Is it the National Cabinet meeting over the
• 15:52
  Speaker 1: next day or two?
• 15:54
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean Alis for a couple of days and
• 15:56
  Speaker 2: then head down to Sydney for National Cabinets. I'll certainly
• 15:59
  Speaker 2: be making sure the voice of Remote and Regional Australia
• 16:01
  Speaker 2: you get that table a number of issues and I
• 16:04
  Speaker 2: certainly don't shy away from sharing them with my state
• 16:07
  Speaker 2: and territory counterparts as well as the Prime Minister.
• 16:10
  Speaker 1: Well, Chief Minister Natasha Files, we appreciate your time this
• 16:13
  Speaker 1: morning and we'll hopefully catch up with you again before Christmas.
• 16:17
  Speaker 2: Take care, thank you.