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Katie Woolf spoke with Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Hello, Katie Wolf and three point sixty online at Mixbino
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: four nine dot com.
• 0:06
  Speaker 2: It is Tuesday morning, and joining me in the studio
• 0:08
  Speaker 2: as he does every Tuesday morning, the Lord Mayor of
• 0:11
  Speaker 2: Darwin convat scarlets.
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: Good morning Corn, Good morning Kate. How are you today?
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: Very well?
• 0:16
  Speaker 2: Con Before we get into it, I did want to
• 0:18
  Speaker 2: pass on my condolences. I know that your father passed
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: away just a few days ago. I was very sorry
• 0:23
  Speaker 2: to say that that had happened.
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: I was very sorry too, but we live in very
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: interesting times and that prevents me from going to Gresky
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: is buried today and unfortunate I can't be there. Fortunately
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: I've got family to support my mother. But this is
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: what happens. Things are not very good from Europe. I
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: was reading today the Greek newspaper thirty seven day old
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: baby died from coronavirus. French is struggling, Italy has got
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: one hundred thousand dead people. Things are not really good.
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: We're really lucky here in Australia and even in Darwin,
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: having this wonderful facility Impacts run by OSMAT. They've done
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  Speaker 1: a tremendous job, so really really I respect them and
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  Speaker 1: appreciate everybody who walked there and kept us safe.
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: Oh, they're doing a phenomenal job they have and you
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: know by the sounds of it from what Lenda Taras
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  Speaker 2: has just told us, they're not going to be moving
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  Speaker 2: out until you know the Health Department are ready for
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: them to do so. But I tell you what, you know,
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  Speaker 2: so many territorianes have just got absolute confidence in that
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  Speaker 2: oz Mat team, don't they absolutely?
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  Speaker 1: And Osmuch's been fantastic since the day of inception following
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  Speaker 1: the Bally bombing, not only helped Territorial not only helped Australia,
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: but help people in our region from Indonesia to the
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  Speaker 1: islands in the Pacific. They're very, very well respected and
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  Speaker 1: I have worked very closely with Len in the past
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  Speaker 1: as a minister and I've got absolutely faith on him
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  Speaker 1: because he's one of the best professionals we've got in
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  Speaker 1: the area.
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  Speaker 2: Con Obviously, it's not a council issue, so feel free
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: to tell me no comment, but do you reckon it's
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  Speaker 2: the right move to have the oz mat team moving
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  Speaker 2: out of there or transitioning out of there.
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: From my experience, I think that the much to stay there.
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: It will continue if the health demand will take over.
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  Speaker 1: That's fantastic, But those much would be a really good
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  Speaker 1: backup support for the Health Department. They've got the experience,
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: they've got the people, and if the Health Department wants
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: to to rent to hire four hundred people or SMUT
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: can provide the training. The problem you've got is how
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: do you actually father four hundred people? Where are you
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: going to find them? And that's a really big problem,
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  Speaker 1: it is.
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  Speaker 2: And it's a very big question that we've been asking.
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  Speaker 2: And obviously you are a former health minister, so you've
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  Speaker 2: got that experience in that spice, Kate.
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  Speaker 1: We have really good doctors in Darwin. Don't listen to
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: people says when in pain, catch a plane. Well, I
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: had my own new operation down here in Darwin. Pill
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  Speaker 1: said me, why you didn't go down south? Because the
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  Speaker 1: doctor who did it is one of the best doctors
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: in his field and he's here in Darwin going down
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  Speaker 1: south for me, I have no family down south who's
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: going to look after me when I need them? Staying
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: here it was great. He did the job, and he
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  Speaker 1: did a tremendous job. We've got some doctors that are
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  Speaker 1: very very good and very experienced. We've got other doctors
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: who come from down south here in Darwin to get training,
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: especially in infectious diseases that you don't see down south.
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: So do not have don't lose faith on our doctors.
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  Speaker 1: They're fantastic.
• 3:08
  Speaker 2: Con let's move along and talk about some of the
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: work that council's got underway. I know that you are
• 3:13
  Speaker 2: set to be investing in beautifying the suburbs. There's going
• 3:16
  Speaker 2: to be thirty small projects. Is that right?
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  Speaker 1: It is? Indeed, last year we spent about twenty million
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  Speaker 1: dollars in the suburbs because I always said, look, the
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  Speaker 1: CBT is great, is the icon of our city. We
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: have to invest, and we did invest. We have done
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: a lot of things, but we can't let the suburbs.
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  Speaker 1: For example, why the people in Karama cannot have a
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  Speaker 1: very good playground or in Tiwi because they live eight
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  Speaker 1: turns out of the city. No, this year we're spending
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  Speaker 1: thirty more projects, which actually been selected by the aldermen
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  Speaker 1: of different wards. Five million dollars will go there just
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  Speaker 1: for these projects, and other money will be spent for
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  Speaker 1: a bigger project for beautification, expanding the Wi FI and
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  Speaker 1: everything else.
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  Speaker 2: I think it's a good idea. You know, we've got
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  Speaker 2: to make sure that all of Darwin is obviously, yeah,
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: everybody's got great facilities on you said, we can't just
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  Speaker 2: do things in the s.
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  Speaker 1: For example, we will put the latch on the on
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  Speaker 1: the on the ovels. We put some in the gardens,
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  Speaker 1: but we put some in Nightcliff and also in Baggot.
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  Speaker 1: This year we're putting a basketball called up Upgrade in Malak.
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  Speaker 1: We beautify the Malac Community Center. The Robin Leslie Park
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  Speaker 1: received new equipment, exercise equipment. In Nightcliffe, we're going to
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: upgrade facilities for the street vendors. You know, the vents
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: are selling food. We're also going to plant trees in
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  Speaker 1: the forest or to assist with shade and also to
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: help the erosion of the of the of the of
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  Speaker 1: the coastline. In the large world. The good Road, we
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: want to actually make it beautiful. At the moment it's
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  Speaker 1: called grabbing daily street used to have. We want to
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  Speaker 1: upgrade it. And we want to beautify the perhaps of
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  Speaker 1: the village. After all, we've got the markets there beautiful.
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  Speaker 1: We had to make it beautiful. Riches and world. We're
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: talking about the Buffalo Creek boat ramp upgrade very popular time,
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: go and launch your boat there. It's a council facility.
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  Speaker 1: We're going to upgrade that work.
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  Speaker 2: When are you expecting to get that work?
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: Design has already been done and unfortunately we've got this
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: situation wet and dry season. We can't do much during
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: the wet but now is the time to do it.
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  Speaker 1: And we'll be delete working from now until the end
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  Speaker 1: of the financial lead to deliver these projects. So it's
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: a go, go go. Are people working really hard. They've
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: done a tremendous job. Designs you finish Now we're in
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: actually the construction.
• 5:20
  Speaker 2: Stage and con I understand as well that there's going
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  Speaker 2: to be some work or a bit of an upgrade
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  Speaker 2: to the front of the Chinatown car Park. Is that right?
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: Well, the helicous group of communies came and told us
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  Speaker 1: they're actually going to upgrade their facilities in front of
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  Speaker 1: the National Bank and the police headquarters. Be interesting to
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: work with them to continue the upgrade, and we were
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: actually very excited because for the money we pay, we
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: get a really good bargain. So we'll continue that one.
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  Speaker 1: There will be ownings, there will be three planting, there
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  Speaker 1: will be a facade in the car back, so instead
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: of having this cyclone mess, We're going to have a
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  Speaker 1: beautiful facade. So the whole area is upgraded. The third
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: thing is you upgrade this area, then the other soap owners,
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: properly owners, they think ooh, mine, do the same. So
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  Speaker 1: it generates this beautiful atmosphere and put a sense of
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: optimism to the people in town.
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  Speaker 2: Is it costing much?
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: Not at all? Actually, for what we're paying, we getting
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: a lot of done. And because we're doing all together.
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  Speaker 1: When you all together, the costs come down about one
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  Speaker 1: point seven million dollars and we get a significant work done,
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: which if we do it ourselves are in asolation. Are
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: it going course us about three million dollars?
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  Speaker 2: So is so? Is the council then paying that one
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: point seven million to upgrade someone else's building? Or are
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  Speaker 2: you just doing the work on the outside.
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  Speaker 1: We're doing the work in our building. Chinatown car Park
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  Speaker 1: is a building, but we continue so it looks the
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: same from the one corner to the other corner, rather
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  Speaker 1: than actually mesing much.
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  Speaker 2: Hi, con can I ask you very quickly? I know
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  Speaker 2: there's the upgrade on Austin Line. It's pretty much all
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  Speaker 2: done now, is nice?
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  Speaker 1: It's all done and we're waiting for the drive to
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  Speaker 1: arrive and for the people start putting tables out the
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  Speaker 1: interesting things. It looks absolutely fantastic. The interesting thing is
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  Speaker 1: we start having no inquiry from other people in the area.
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: Some of the people that have got properties in the
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  Speaker 1: Mitchell Street they said they would like to do something
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: like that in their area, which actually is really really good.
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  Speaker 1: And of course you saw the news item about the
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: dome at the old Beaufort Hotel.
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  Speaker 2: Oh.
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  Speaker 1: Yes, all of a sudden people realize that being outside
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  Speaker 1: is the thing to do, so they want now to
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: find out a way to upgrade it. Put a bar
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: or a restaurant there so when you sit up there
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  Speaker 1: you can see the ocean around the parking met in
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  Speaker 1: the stry stuff.
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  Speaker 2: Why not get things happening around the place and draw
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  Speaker 2: cards to get people into the city. Convat Scarlet's always
• 7:36
  Speaker 2: good to catch.
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: Up before you go. Anybody's really good with a chainshaw,
• 7:40
  Speaker 1: A chainshaw artist would like to know about you, because
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: we've got a bigger lamp of wood in Nightly from
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: the old mahoganitry that was cut down, So I would
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: like to hear from you. If you're really good with
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  Speaker 1: change shaw would like to have a sculpture rather than
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: cutting it and throw it away or do slubs. Why
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  Speaker 1: can we do something there so let us know about
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  Speaker 1: it and in that area. Absolutely would stay in that area.
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  Speaker 1: We just want to do something beautiful, good stuff. And
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  Speaker 1: I start you from the old mahogany tree.
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  Speaker 2: Wonderful stuff. Good on your cont Good to catch up
• 8:08
  Speaker 2: with you this morning.
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: Have a great day, you two