Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Member for Solomon Luke Gosling on the Developing Northern Australia conference coming to the Top End

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Member for Solomon Luke Gosling on the Developing Northern Australia conference coming to the Top End · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Now joining me on the line is the Member for Solomon,
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Luke Gosling.
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: Good morning to you, Luke.
• 0:06
  Speaker 3: Good morning Katie.
• 0:07
  Speaker 2: How are you very well?
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: Luke? Before I get into it, what are you doing
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: for Territory Days?
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  Speaker 3: Have got the federal Tourism Minister in town, so we're
• 0:20
  Speaker 3: gonna have a bit of a round table down to
• 0:23
  Speaker 3: the casino so he can hear from territory tourism operators
• 0:27
  Speaker 3: and watch a few of the fireworks from there. And
• 0:31
  Speaker 3: we've got a new puppy, so the family might stay
• 0:34
  Speaker 3: home because a bit anxious about on the first territory night.
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: We all worry about the animals a bit high. You
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: never know how they're going to act.
• 0:46
  Speaker 3: Yeah, but I think I think she'll be okay. She's
• 0:50
  Speaker 3: got a we've got a little kennel thing for where
• 0:53
  Speaker 3: a little safe place she'd be right. But really looking
• 0:57
  Speaker 3: forward to Territory Day. Been long first half of the year.
• 1:01
  Speaker 3: It's been a good one. It's been great to get
• 1:03
  Speaker 3: the mask off and obviously great to be in government
• 1:07
  Speaker 3: now and it's a busy time. But yeah, I think
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  Speaker 3: everyone's looking forward the Territory Day and letting off safely. Yeah,
• 1:14
  Speaker 3: some crackers and keeping crackers out of crackers and all
• 1:17
  Speaker 3: the rest of it. Was good to hear from the
• 1:21
  Speaker 3: Fieries with his stage words of advice before so I
• 1:25
  Speaker 3: know everyone will do the right thing so we can
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  Speaker 3: keep cracker they going well into the future.
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  Speaker 1: Well, this is the thing, isn't you know. We've got
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  Speaker 1: to make sure we do it as safely as possible.
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: And we've got some good advice from Simon, one of
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: our listeners a bit earlier this morning about how you
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: can let them off a little bit easier.
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  Speaker 2: But yeah, some people do go a bit crazy.
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: Please don't on Territory Day because we want to make
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  Speaker 1: sure that it is something that we can continue to do. Luke,
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  Speaker 1: you did just mention that Senator Don Farrell is going
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: to be in town for Territory Day, but he's going
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: to be here as the Minister for Tourism now in
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: the Federal guns.
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: What's he coming to the territory for.
• 2:04
  Speaker 3: He's actually coming up here for Senator Melandery McCarthy's wedding. Yeah,
• 2:11
  Speaker 3: the bigger, big occasion on SATDY. But he's also getting
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  Speaker 3: getting a round table together, asked him. You know, tourism
• 2:23
  Speaker 3: is a big part of our economy. Is asked him
• 2:25
  Speaker 3: that from some the Glenn and the crew at Tourism
• 2:29
  Speaker 3: top end, but also some other smaller operators around town
• 2:33
  Speaker 3: that sometimes you know, don't always get their boys heard.
• 2:36
  Speaker 3: So we'll do. He'll fly in and we'll have that
• 2:39
  Speaker 3: round table and then we'll kick back with a froffee
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  Speaker 3: and watch some fireworks with everyone else's. So there's some
• 2:47
  Speaker 3: other parliamentary colleagues that are flying in for that wedding
• 2:51
  Speaker 3: as well, and one of them is coming in about
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  Speaker 3: eleven pm at night, and I said, well, as you
• 2:57
  Speaker 3: come into the land, you'll get you'll have a great
• 2:59
  Speaker 3: fundraiser as it's all going off around the coast line.
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: That's exactly right.
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  Speaker 1: Well, it sounds like it's going to be a big weekend.
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  Speaker 1: But then of course next week we know the Developing
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: Northern Australia Conference is set to get underway from the
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: sixth till the eighth of July. Luke, I'm assuming that
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: we are going to see the Minister for Northern Australia here.
• 3:18
  Speaker 2: What's going to be on the agenda.
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  Speaker 3: So much on the agenda obviously at our first opportunity
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  Speaker 3: to at the conference over in Mackay, and I'll be
• 3:29
  Speaker 3: heading over for a day of that and obviously talking
• 3:33
  Speaker 3: about the support that we want to see and getting
• 3:36
  Speaker 3: that NAFE going that we've talked about so often, Katie.
• 3:41
  Speaker 3: We're really really keen to see some of those smaller
• 3:45
  Speaker 3: proponents receives some financial support towards their projects. We know
• 3:52
  Speaker 3: it's been the big projects that they're focused on, but
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  Speaker 3: we've really made a determined push even when we're in opposition.
• 4:00
  Speaker 3: Now obviously we're in government, so that job before us
• 4:02
  Speaker 3: to make sure that those proponents that might be needing
• 4:05
  Speaker 3: some financial support of five the ten milk can get
• 4:09
  Speaker 3: that support and get their projects up and running. It
• 4:13
  Speaker 3: can really make the difference that federal funding support because
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  Speaker 3: of course that gives territory government and gives other private
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  Speaker 3: investors the confidence that all the Dudell diligence has been done,
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  Speaker 3: the project's right to go. The federal government got some
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  Speaker 3: skin in the game and let's go.
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: Yeah, we've got to try and make it easier I guess,
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  Speaker 1: or not easier, but more accessible I think, to see
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  Speaker 1: some more projects get underway. You know, the best thing
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  Speaker 1: that we can do is have a more diversified economy.
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: Of course, for the territory blook one of the other
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  Speaker 1: things we've sort of been wondering or waiting on to
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  Speaker 1: some degree as well as the ship lift. Is there
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: going to be much of an update in that space.
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  Speaker 2: Do you reckon?
• 4:54
  Speaker 3: Jeez? I hope so, Katie. It is becoming increasingly frustrating
• 5:00
  Speaker 3: that that project is not starting. I've met with ASPAI
• 5:08
  Speaker 3: recently and got updates from the NC government recently in
• 5:14
  Speaker 3: the pipeline. Hopefully there's going to be more announcement soon,
• 5:17
  Speaker 3: but we need to crack on. If we don't back
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  Speaker 3: on and start building this shiplift, we're going to lose
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  Speaker 3: some of that maritime maintenance work to Western Australia because
• 5:27
  Speaker 3: they're saying, you know, we can get your boat out
• 5:29
  Speaker 3: of the water, we can do the maintenance, and of
• 5:32
  Speaker 3: course that's the prerogative to do so. But what we
• 5:36
  Speaker 3: need to do is get the ship lift happening so
• 5:39
  Speaker 3: that the Navy and other industry stakeholders that are in
• 5:43
  Speaker 3: the ship game can get that work done right here.
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  Speaker 3: But we're perfectly placed, obviously, and the Americans can obviously
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  Speaker 3: see that as well, to be doing much more maintenance
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  Speaker 3: of ships here in Darwin and have a maritime maintenance
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  Speaker 3: hub at the East Arm and all that is ready
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  Speaker 3: to happen. It's a shiplift. We've got to crack on
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  Speaker 3: and get a built.
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  Speaker 2: Are you a bit frustrated how long it's taking?
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  Speaker 3: Could you tell that in my voice?
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  Speaker 1: And I was thinking, I think everybody is, and you
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  Speaker 1: know it's actually it is something that I worry about.
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: I know that CANS had flagged, you know, having some
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: maritime precinct as well in the leading to the federal election,
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: and they've spoken about a shiplift at some point.
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  Speaker 2: Also then, as you've said, w A like the problem
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  Speaker 2: is here is that we actually.
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  Speaker 1: Don't want to lose that work, as you've pointed out
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  Speaker 1: to another state.
• 6:45
  Speaker 3: No, that's right, and there the Navy's got this new
• 6:48
  Speaker 3: program of regional maintenance centers for their fleet and there
• 6:53
  Speaker 3: will be a tender that's been hotly contested to be
• 6:58
  Speaker 3: the regional maintenance to provide those services. But the scale
• 7:03
  Speaker 3: of the services that are conducted here in Darwin will
• 7:06
  Speaker 3: depend on our ability to do the work. And the
• 7:09
  Speaker 3: ship lift is part of is a key part of that.
• 7:12
  Speaker 3: So I spoke at the Australian Defense Magazine Congress down
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  Speaker 3: in Canberra last week. One of the things they wanted
• 7:21
  Speaker 3: me to talk about, and I gave a keynote address
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  Speaker 3: where I just talked about our place in the nation,
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  Speaker 3: our role strategically and what we are able to do
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  Speaker 3: out of Darwen in terms of not only force projection,
• 7:36
  Speaker 3: but our capability here to maintain fleet and for other
• 7:41
  Speaker 3: countries to train here as well. And we know that happens,
• 7:45
  Speaker 3: but we can do more to those big ranges down
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  Speaker 3: at Bradshaw, Kangaroo Flats and out of Mount Bundy. So
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  Speaker 3: we've got and Delamare Weapons Range, so we've got great
• 7:56
  Speaker 3: training facilities. So we've got a lot to offer. And
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  Speaker 3: so it was great to be there now and speak
• 8:00
  Speaker 3: to that four hundred people in the room from defense industry.
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  Speaker 3: But the main thing they wanted me to talk about,
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  Speaker 3: and something that I'm really passionate about, and I put
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  Speaker 3: all the big companies on notice on behalf of the
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  Speaker 3: new federal labor government is that we want to have
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  Speaker 3: local companies have a better go. So local companies up
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  Speaker 3: here in Darwin, YEP small and medium enterprises SMEs they're
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  Speaker 3: known as there's often these big international organizations that are
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  Speaker 3: the prime they're called the tier one type companies. They've
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  Speaker 3: been getting all the work and then sort of giving
• 8:35
  Speaker 3: chicken feed to local companies. That's changing now a bit.
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  Speaker 3: I think we've done pretty good down at Tyndall with
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  Speaker 3: the packages of work being broken up into smaller into
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  Speaker 3: smaller packages so local businesses can have a go. But
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  Speaker 3: really the message down there in Canberra was if you
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  Speaker 3: want to have a go at getting these big defense
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  Speaker 3: infrastructure work, well you've got to have low, cool territory
• 9:01
  Speaker 3: companies on your bid or you're going to or you're
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  Speaker 3: going to struggle to get the work. So I think
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  Speaker 3: getting that message through to the primes, to the big
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  Speaker 3: international company sometimes we need their expertise and their sizes,
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  Speaker 3: but the majority of the work can be done by
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  Speaker 3: local companies.
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  Speaker 1: Going to do that absolutely well, Luke Gosling, we are
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  Speaker 1: going to have to leave it there.
• 9:23
  Speaker 2: Good to catch up all.
• 9:25
  Speaker 1: Make sure you wish Melanderry McCarthy all the very best
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: from us.
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  Speaker 2: It sounds like it's going to.
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  Speaker 3: Be a big week soon, husband Richard, fantastic fella, and
• 9:36
  Speaker 3: yeah it'll be a good weekend. I just currently just
• 9:39
  Speaker 3: finally out of the Great Community Hall at an event
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  Speaker 3: in Parmerston and for those that haven't seen it, it
• 9:44
  Speaker 3: is a fantastic little community hall. Well done to the
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  Speaker 3: Parmesan Council and with some schedule funding, so yeah, think
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  Speaker 3: about it for your events for people who are out
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  Speaker 3: in farming.
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  Speaker 1: Luke Gosling thanks for your time this morning. We appreciate it.
• 9:58
  Speaker 3: Katie, thank you.