Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / NT Liquor Commission chairman Richard Coates reflects on his time in the role and explains why he is retiring

Transcript

NT Liquor Commission chairman Richard Coates reflects on his time in the role and explains why he is retiring · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: The head of the Northern Territories Liquor Commission has stepped down.
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: The Chief Minister, Natasha Philes officially announcing this morning that
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: after leading the Liquor Commission for years, Richard Coates has
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: retired or decided to retire as the chairman of the
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: independent alcohol oversight body. Richard Coates joins me on the
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: line right now. Good morning to you, Richard.
• 0:22
  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie. How are you not too bad?
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: Thank you so much for your time this morning. Richard,
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: how come you decided to step down from the position?
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: Well, first up, can I hose down the suggestion that
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: seems to be impleased in that in the newspaper report
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: this morning? And I resigned in some sort of a
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: huff over threats to the independence of the commission. That's
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: of the situation I tell the Minister almost twelve twelve
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: months ago, I wouldn't be going around again as the chair.
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: I came out of retirement five years ago to to
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: take on the position of chair of the Liquor Commission
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: because I thought it was an important position and I've
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: had a good time there. But I've got other things
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: to do, so it wasn't I don't think it was
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  Speaker 2: a surprise to certainly wasn't a surprised to the Minister
• 1:21
  Speaker 2: that I was going, And I certainly haven't gone with
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: any ill feeling towards for her. I think she's done
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: a fantastic job as Minister in charge of Alcohol policy
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: and she certainly supported the Commission when we weren't necessarily
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: the favor of the month. So I wish my colleagues
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: who are following on that's Russell Goldfan's going to be
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: the chair and Jodie Truman is going to be the deputy.
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: She was my deputy. There. Both very competent and enable people.
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: They've got a good team around them and I'm sure
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: that I'm sure they'll do a great job in the future.
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: I've no doubt It's been a massive job for you, Richard.
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: I mean, we have gone through some of the biggest
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: legislative changes when it comes to alcohol reform in the
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: Northern Territory in recent years, haven't we.
• 2:18
  Speaker 2: Well, it is and I was just thinking about that
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: the other day and where would we be if we
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: hadn't done anything? Where would we know? How would we
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: be looking if the government had just decided not to
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: act on the Raleigh review and just thought, oh, well,
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: let's not upset things. Let's just keep on going, steady
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: as she goes sort of thing. The Northern Territory has
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: got a big problem with alcohol. We've got the greatest
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: consumption rates by far across the country, and we all
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: know the sort of problems that come with alcohol misuse.
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: Really the government to be commended for what they've done.
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: There's probably more things that need to be done, but gee,
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: where would we be if we were still back where
• 3:18
  Speaker 2: it was before the Liquor Commissioner liquor acts started. And
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: to give them their due, I think territorians have broadly
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: embraced the reforms. Not everyone by any means, but I
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: think there's an understanding in the community that the problems
• 3:38
  Speaker 2: of anti social behavior, excessive alcohol fueled crime problems we've
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: all got to deal with. And I think, you know, yes,
• 3:48
  Speaker 2: it is convenient to have your license when you go
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: to the pub, but I think people have got used
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: to that and are prepared to do what they can
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: to to help deal with the issues. Complex issues we're.
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: Going to deal with, Richard. I know, obviously, you know
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: the most recent concerns have been out of Central Australia
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: with the ending of the Stronger Futures legislation. You know,
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: I guess that some had maybe wondered whether you'd made
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: the decision to step down following on from the lifting
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: of the Stronger Futures and those new measures which require
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: the alcohol management plans to be drawn up and reviewed
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: and signed off by the Liquor Commission.
• 4:33
  Speaker 2: Well, no, they're not signed up by the Liquor Commission.
• 4:36
  Speaker 2: They're signed up by the first instance, by the Director
• 4:40
  Speaker 2: of Liquor Licensing. So the Director of Wikor Licensing has
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: really got the main role to play in that he
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: can refer mails to us if he thinks they're particularly
• 4:52
  Speaker 2: contentious or people have got the right to appeal to
• 4:56
  Speaker 2: the Liquor Commission, but first up it'll be the Director
• 5:01
  Speaker 2: of Liquor Licensing that's dealing with them.
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: Richard, you said just a moment ago, and I hate
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: to try and paraphrase you, but you said just a
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: moment ago that you know, definitely there could be more
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: happening in this space. You know, what else could we
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: be doing, do you think in the space of alcohol
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: management or reform in the territory to try and curb
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: some of the very serious issues that we do have.
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: Well, I think we've we've we've got to work through
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  Speaker 2: these alcohol management plans and listen to what communities have
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  Speaker 2: got to say about whether they want to be dry
• 5:43
  Speaker 2: or whether they want to have liquor under some sort
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: of controlled situation, and work with them and support them
• 5:56
  Speaker 2: with the realistic solutions they come up with. The difficulty
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: that happened with the Stronger Futures and this hasn't got
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: a lot to do with the Liquor Commission, because we're
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: not the policy we're not the policy organization. We don't
• 6:13
  Speaker 2: develop government policy. But these are sort of complex issues
• 6:17
  Speaker 2: that the Stronger Futures was a temporary measure for five years,
• 6:22
  Speaker 2: and then it was a further temporary measure for another
• 6:24
  Speaker 2: ten years. And in that time, the first five years
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: and then the second ten years, it was envisaged that
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: communities had been encouraged to develop their alcohol management plans
• 6:38
  Speaker 2: and these that be could be approved and monitor etc.
• 6:43
  Speaker 2: But the reality was that all those communities that did
• 6:47
  Speaker 2: work on alcohol management plans and they were put up
• 6:50
  Speaker 2: to the Commonwealth and none of them were act at
• 6:52
  Speaker 2: the so that was sort of like a Commonwealth detail.
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: Any move by communities to introduce plans, and that's a
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  Speaker 2: veto by both political parties, bathed by the Labor Party
• 7:09
  Speaker 2: originally and then by the Liberal National Party, although just
• 7:19
  Speaker 2: towards the end of the current the former coalition government
• 7:27
  Speaker 2: Minister Whyatt had had been prepared to starting to look
• 7:33
  Speaker 2: at some of these proposals and the Legal Commission had
• 7:38
  Speaker 2: some constructive engagement with him which saw the Barunga getting
• 7:44
  Speaker 2: their first licensed social company. I don't think that's opened yet,
• 7:50
  Speaker 2: but it's that's a decision for the communities when they opened.
• 7:54
  Speaker 2: But so that was a positive step and maybe some
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: communities in future will follow along those sort of lines
• 8:05
  Speaker 2: of a social club on country. But then again it
• 8:10
  Speaker 2: won't be the right solution for all. Never look at
• 8:14
  Speaker 2: what they want and what the people want.
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: Yeah, now I know, and look, I know that you
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: said right from the outset that you know that your
• 8:23
  Speaker 1: decision was obviously contrary to what he's been reported today
• 8:27
  Speaker 1: in the Northern Territory News. I do know though that
• 8:31
  Speaker 1: that certainly there had there had been some reporting as
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: well that you'd submitted a scathing reporting to threats to
• 8:39
  Speaker 1: the alcohol ombardsman's independence is what they are reporting. What
• 8:44
  Speaker 1: were you concerns with the Alcohol Ombardsman's independence.
• 8:49
  Speaker 2: Well, I'm I'm not sure who they're talking about, the
• 8:52
  Speaker 2: Alcohol Ombardsman if they're talking about the leted Commission. I'm
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: required under the Act to submit every year an annual
• 9:07
  Speaker 2: report and I have a bit of a speel in it,
• 9:11
  Speaker 2: and I say, well, I think and issues that are
• 9:21
  Speaker 2: a concern to the Commission. And I've been doing that
• 9:25
  Speaker 2: ever since I was there, and I would have thought
• 9:27
  Speaker 2: I've said much more controversial things in the past, and
• 9:31
  Speaker 2: I said in the last report. In the last report,
• 9:34
  Speaker 2: I raised the issue of as being within the Department
• 9:37
  Speaker 2: of Industry and Infrastructure. We were moved there. I think
• 9:44
  Speaker 2: because government, as governments do, was trying to find some
• 9:48
  Speaker 2: efficiencies in relation to the location of the Licensing Department,
• 9:55
  Speaker 2: and the Licensing Department was moved into Department of Industry.
• 10:00
  Speaker 2: Is because you know, we're a small we're a small
• 10:04
  Speaker 2: public sector, and you know you've got to move various
• 10:10
  Speaker 2: agencies to where they might be most efficiently deployed, sharing
• 10:19
  Speaker 2: staff and all that sort of thing. Licensing got moved
• 10:22
  Speaker 2: into there and as we five them, and I didn't
• 10:28
  Speaker 2: think it was necessarily the best fit given what the
• 10:32
  Speaker 2: priority is of the Department of Industry work. So we
• 10:37
  Speaker 2: raised that. There was some media coverage of that issue
• 10:43
  Speaker 2: last year before Christmas. I think the Chief Minister was
• 10:49
  Speaker 2: interviewed about it and said words to the effect that
• 10:52
  Speaker 2: she was she was considering whether to move the wicked
• 10:58
  Speaker 2: Commission that maybe should go into Chief Minister's department because
• 11:04
  Speaker 2: she wanted to retain her commitment to alcohol reform. So
• 11:11
  Speaker 2: I don't think it was particularly controversial, and as I've said,
• 11:17
  Speaker 2: more controversial things in the past, and that certainly wasn't
• 11:22
  Speaker 2: any issue behind me deciling to leave, because I've done
• 11:30
  Speaker 2: that before. I'd indicated I wouldn't be going around again
• 11:38
  Speaker 2: some time ago, and fortunately we've got more noble people
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  Speaker 2: to step into my shoes and take over.
• 11:47
  Speaker 1: Well, Richard Coates, we are going to have to get
• 11:49
  Speaker 1: ready to wrap up before we do. Though, I did
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: get a message from Alex Bruces, the s of Hospitality
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: here in the Northern Territory, and he said, Katie, can
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: you please thank Richard his commitment to our industry. He's
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: displayed as the chair of the Liquor Commission, even when
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: ultimately decisions were made that weren't where our industry would
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: have liked matters to fall. We always found his approach
• 12:10
  Speaker 1: to our industry professional and balanced as he sought to
• 12:13
  Speaker 1: juggle the many complex and competing interests and perspectives. So
• 12:18
  Speaker 1: that is a message that's come through there.
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  Speaker 2: From and good on the industry that we've had some
• 12:28
  Speaker 2: fun with them.
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  Speaker 1: Well, I bet it's been.
• 12:30
  Speaker 2: You know.
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  Speaker 1: The thing is, it would be a tough job, like
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  Speaker 1: Alex has said there in that text message, juggling the
• 12:36
  Speaker 1: interests of everybody but also juggling what's best for the
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: community as best that you can. So I have no
• 12:41
  Speaker 1: doubt that it's been a tough job. What's next for you, Richard.
• 12:47
  Speaker 2: Well, I'm going to have a holiday for a while
• 12:49
  Speaker 2: and then see what else. I think I'll be returning
• 12:54
  Speaker 2: to the full time work for any stretch of the imagination.
• 12:58
  Speaker 2: But anyway, what happens, see where you go. Plans are
• 13:03
  Speaker 2: first and foremost in the mind at the moment.
• 13:05
  Speaker 1: Fair, col very fair cool, Richard Coates. I appreciate your
• 13:09
  Speaker 1: time this morning. Thanks very much for having a chat
• 13:11
  Speaker 1: with me. Thank you.
• 13:14
  Speaker 2: Thanks mate,