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

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: The opposition leader, Leah Fanocchiaro, is here in the studio
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  Speaker 1: with me. Good morning to you, lead.
• 0:05
  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie, and to your listeners.
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  Speaker 1: Now, Leah, it's hard to know where to start this morning,
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  Speaker 1: there is so much on the agenda, but I might
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: start with the federal budget. It was handed down overnight
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: and it is big spending. There didn't appear to be
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: additional major infrastructure announcements last night for the Northern Territory
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  Speaker 1: aside from what we were already aware of. Leah, what
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: was your reaction to the budget?
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  Speaker 3: Oh, I was absolutely thrilled. Of course, we know that
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  Speaker 3: the federal government is the only game in town. With
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  Speaker 3: the defense spend, with the home builder, with the investment
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  Speaker 3: into the gas industry, these are really the things that
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  Speaker 3: are driving our economy and will continue to drive our
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  Speaker 3: economy into the future. And I think it was just
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  Speaker 3: an amazing contrast between the pathetic, hopeless budget that the
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  Speaker 3: Gunner government delivered last week, which provides no hope or
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  Speaker 3: opportunity for the territory's future, as contrasted to the federal
• 0:53
  Speaker 3: government who are backing us in they recognize we could
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  Speaker 3: be an economic powerhouse and where the territory government is
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  Speaker 3: falling down.
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  Speaker 2: The federal government is certainly picking us up.
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  Speaker 1: Well, leare I guess that. You know, we've all been
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  Speaker 1: quite critical of the Northern Territory government spending, But then
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  Speaker 1: when you look at the federal government spending, our net
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  Speaker 1: debt is going to go up to seven hundred and
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  Speaker 1: twenty nine billion dollars. You know, the deficit for twenty
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  Speaker 1: twenty one, twenty two one hundred and six point six
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  Speaker 1: billion dollars. We're talking eye watering levels of debt. I mean,
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  Speaker 1: if we're going to be critical of the Gunner government
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  Speaker 1: on that spending, well, surely you'd be critical of the
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  Speaker 1: federal government as well on that spending.
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  Speaker 3: Look, there's no question our nation has had to go
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  Speaker 3: into a lot of debt. But the differences of federal
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  Speaker 3: government have a plan. This is controlled debt that they
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  Speaker 3: are managing, that they understand what the pathways are. They've
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  Speaker 3: provided certainly initiatives and different types of incentives to be
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  Speaker 3: able to keep our economy going, get people back into jobs,
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  Speaker 3: and they've got a plan for the future. We've got
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  Speaker 3: some fantastic economic results happening, and it's all done in
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  Speaker 3: a managed, planned, thought out way the differences.
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  Speaker 2: Of course, the territory.
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  Speaker 3: Government, they've got a nine point one billion dollar debt.
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  Speaker 3: They don't know how they're going to rein it in.
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  Speaker 3: They don't have a plan or a trajectory going forward
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  Speaker 3: on how our economy is going to turn around. We
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  Speaker 3: really are the ship without a rudder and so sure,
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  Speaker 3: the federal debt is huge, but at least it's controlled,
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  Speaker 3: there's a plan, it's staged, and we've got a pathway
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  Speaker 3: out here in the territory.
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  Speaker 2: We don't know where we're going.
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  Speaker 3: All we know is the Gunner government have a proposed
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  Speaker 3: fifteen billion dollar debt ceiling that we hope, like hell,
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  Speaker 3: we're never going to achieve.
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  Speaker 1: Would you have liked to have seen more for the
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  Speaker 1: Northern Territory when it comes to the federal budget. I
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  Speaker 1: know that we had quite the windfall when it comes
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  Speaker 1: to our GST.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, that was incredible.
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  Speaker 3: I mean, you know, I think it's about seventy seventy
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  Speaker 3: five percent of all revenue into the territories from the
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  Speaker 3: federal government. I don't really know how we could ask
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  Speaker 3: for more. I mean, of course, you know, we all
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  Speaker 3: have wish lists. We'd love other projects to get up
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  Speaker 3: and I'll always be fighting hard for further investment. But
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  Speaker 3: I think the hundreds of millions of dollars into roads
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  Speaker 3: funding is obviously critical, not just for gas, for cattle,
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  Speaker 3: for ag, for tourism, and for the people. I mean,
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  Speaker 3: let's not forget we live in the remotest place in
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  Speaker 3: our in our nation, and just the fact that people
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  Speaker 3: can travel around the territory better is important. Of course,
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  Speaker 3: money for education and that skills training, I mean skills
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  Speaker 3: is very very topical at the moment, and the federal
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  Speaker 3: government are certainly delivering on ensuring that there's great opportunities
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  Speaker 3: to get staff in in what is a very difficult
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  Speaker 3: climate at the moment. And of course that we're training
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  Speaker 3: and getting our young people, our kids, our future generations
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  Speaker 3: into the skills of the future that we need. That
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  Speaker 3: matching up of where our economy is going and what
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  Speaker 3: jobs our kids should be aspiring to is really really important.
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  Speaker 1: Well, if you do want to get in contact with
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  Speaker 1: us on the federal budget, you can send us a
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  Speaker 1: text if you'd like. Zero four one eighth nine five
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  Speaker 1: seven three six ' nine. Now, while the budget was
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  Speaker 1: being handed down last night, Parliament in the Northern Territory
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  Speaker 1: continue to debate the bail legislation, which well did eventually
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  Speaker 1: pass LEA. Did the Opposition support the legislation in the end.
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  Speaker 3: Yes, we supported the bill as a whole, but we
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  Speaker 3: voted against the provision which came out of yesterday which
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  Speaker 3: watered down the revegation of bail and provided that exceptional circumstance.
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  Speaker 3: We were there until about nine point thirty last night,
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  Speaker 3: Katie asking the Minister for Police hundreds and hundreds of
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  Speaker 3: questions about how the bill would operate. And you know,
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  Speaker 3: I think it's fair to say there was an absolute
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  Speaker 3: clear lack of leadership from the government on these issues.
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  Speaker 3: There's plenty of carve outs in this legislation that will
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  Speaker 3: be a defense lawyer's field day, and it doesn't meet
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  Speaker 3: the expectation that territories had. Of course, in March, the
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  Speaker 3: Gunner government came out talking very tough, very strongly about
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  Speaker 3: breaches of bout, meaning people's bow would be revoked, and
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  Speaker 3: the reality is that the legislation just doesn't deliver on that.
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  Speaker 2: So it's a little shimmy in the right direction.
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  Speaker 1: We did ask the question yesterday, In fact, we asked
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  Speaker 1: it a few different ways on a number of occasions,
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  Speaker 1: what is going to be considered an exceptional circumstance. We
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  Speaker 1: asked the minister what would she ca consider an exceptional
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  Speaker 1: circumstance and she said, well, that would need to be
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  Speaker 1: deemed by a judge. I still felt that it was
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  Speaker 1: important that the Police Minister outlined for us what she
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  Speaker 1: considers an exceptional circumstance, given the fact that she is
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  Speaker 1: the minister introducing that legislation. Did you get an answer
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  Speaker 1: yesterday in Parliament? No?
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  Speaker 2: And this is what I mean by chronic lack of leadership.
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  Speaker 3: There are three words that provide a get out of
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  Speaker 3: jail free card. That is, if a defense lerk can
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  Speaker 3: prove that breaches were trivial, technical, or exceptional, then off
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  Speaker 3: the offender goes. Now it is really important and that
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  Speaker 3: point in parliament, that is when a government gives it
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  Speaker 3: sets the intention of what it's trying to do. It
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  Speaker 3: sets the platform of how it wants the courts to
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  Speaker 3: interpret it. Leadership comes from making the law the courts
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  Speaker 3: interpret the law. And so Nicole Madison refused to give
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  Speaker 3: any indication of what she would expect trivial to be
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  Speaker 3: or not be, technical or exceptional circumstances. She just said, Oh,
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  Speaker 3: the courts do this all the time and they'll be
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  Speaker 3: able to do it, and pushed back very very hard
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  Speaker 3: on this Katie because she kept saying, Oh, that's something
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  Speaker 3: the courts will do. The courts are very capable of
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  Speaker 3: doing all these things.
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  Speaker 2: Well, you know, we beg to differ.
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  Speaker 3: We wouldn't be standing in Parliament redbating Boo legislation if
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  Speaker 3: the Bow legislation was operating properly.
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  Speaker 2: The courts are there to interpret it.
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  Speaker 3: They're just working with what they've been given and unfortunately,
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  Speaker 3: once again they've been given something that doesn't meet community expectation.
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  Speaker 3: And that's because there is a fundamental lack of leadership
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  Speaker 3: and lack of ability from this government to actually say
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  Speaker 3: what it is they want to achieve. And I think
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  Speaker 3: what we saw was a political solution yesterday, not a
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  Speaker 3: real solution.
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  Speaker 2: To Laura and Order lea yes or no.
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  Speaker 1: Do you think that this legislative change is going to
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  Speaker 1: make any difference.
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  Speaker 3: I think it will make a tiny difference, and that's
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  Speaker 3: why we supported it. There are parts of it which
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  Speaker 3: are okay, you know, the family responsibility agreements.
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  Speaker 2: They might make some difference.
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  Speaker 3: It will slow down some offenders who are out on bow,
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  Speaker 3: but it's incredibly limited.
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  Speaker 2: It's a huge missed opportunity.
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  Speaker 3: I mean this legislation, those bail components, these revocation of
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  Speaker 3: bail part only are for youth who are on bail
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  Speaker 3: at the time that they commit a serious breach of bow,
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  Speaker 3: which is very narrowly different.
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  Speaker 1: For I want to talk about the situation that unfolded
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  Speaker 1: overnight in Palmerston. Now we're not aware at this point
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  Speaker 1: in time who committed these crimes. The police are still
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  Speaker 1: definitely investigating and are hoping, I'm sure to make some
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  Speaker 1: arrest sooner rather than later. But essentially what unfolded about
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  Speaker 1: two o'clock this morning there was an unlawful entry at
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  Speaker 1: the shops in Rosebury. They moved on to Hungry Jack's
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  Speaker 1: well then heading to IgA Zacholi. They were targeted in
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  Speaker 1: a big way. They smashed through the front in a
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  Speaker 1: vehicle as I understand it. They then entered the store,
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  Speaker 1: stole alcohol and attempted to move draws. Lea. Have you
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  Speaker 1: spoken to any of those businesses this morning and what
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  Speaker 1: if they said to you? Yep.
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  Speaker 3: I woke up and the first thing I saw was
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  Speaker 3: photos of the carnage at the Zacholi celebrations and of
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  Speaker 3: course that's a mum and dad, territory owned local business
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  Speaker 3: with two lovely kids going about their lives and they
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  Speaker 3: have had their shop completely and utterly destroyed. This just
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  Speaker 3: goes to show how bad alcohol fueled crime is at
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  Speaker 3: the moment. And you cannot escape the fact that if
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  Speaker 3: you are willing to drive a car through an entire
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  Speaker 3: wall of glass into a shop to steal alcohol, that
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  Speaker 3: you are a chronic alcoholic and you are a criminal.
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  Speaker 3: And I think the fact that this government's alcohol policies
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  Speaker 3: are just set and forget they're heralded as a savior,
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  Speaker 3: you know, the BDR and the minimum floor price and
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  Speaker 3: meant to be some sort of saviors. When we're seeing
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  Speaker 3: alcohol fueled violence, domestic violence, you name.
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  Speaker 2: It goes through the roof.
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  Speaker 3: You know, it's the people who are in that Zacholi
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  Speaker 3: celebrations who have to pay the price, the emotional toll
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  Speaker 3: that that takes and of course the cleanup. I mean,
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  Speaker 3: it's absolutely horrific. And again where's the gunn of government
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  Speaker 3: on this? Just absolutely silent?
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  Speaker 1: Are going to be catching up with Shelley, the owner
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  Speaker 1: of the Zacoli Celebrations in IgA out there to find
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  Speaker 1: out how they are going this morning, Leah. A message
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  Speaker 1: from a listener this morning. It says, good morning, Katie.
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  Speaker 1: Can you please ask Leah why they caved in this
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  Speaker 1: Territorian was not counting on the opposition to let these
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  Speaker 1: clowns bow to the minority once again. Territorians come second,
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  Speaker 1: criminals win. That is obviously in relation to you guys
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  Speaker 1: supporting that legislation in Parliament. Yep.
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  Speaker 3: So we made a very firm commitment to Territorians that
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  Speaker 3: we wouldn't play politics with this issue and if the
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  Speaker 3: government ever brought legislation that was a step in the
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  Speaker 3: right direction, we would support it. And so there are
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  Speaker 3: certainly elements of this bill that will slow down a
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  Speaker 3: very small group of offenders who are on bal and
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  Speaker 3: that's a positive thing. It's a wasted and missed opportunity,
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  Speaker 3: without question, and there's plenty of huge holes in it,
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  Speaker 3: as we drove trucks through them last night, but it
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  Speaker 3: is a shimmy in the right direction.
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  Speaker 2: Alt met Lee.
• 10:00
  Speaker 3: Of course, the government have the numbers and they'll ram
• 10:03
  Speaker 3: through whatever they like. But we did stand firm on
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  Speaker 3: this watering down garbage that they brought up yesterday.
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  Speaker 2: With that amendment and we voted against that.
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  Speaker 3: Lea.
• 10:13
  Speaker 1: We are going to have to get ready to wrap up.
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  Speaker 1: It's such a busy morning, but we understand. And I
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  Speaker 1: listened to question time yesterday where there was a question
• 10:20
  Speaker 1: asked by the Deputy Opposition Leader Jered Mayley about testing
• 10:24
  Speaker 1: out at the Howard Springs quarantine facility and why the
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  Speaker 1: staff out there were no longer able to use that
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: rapid testing that comes back, as I understand it in
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: as little as fifteen minutes in some cases. Why has
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  Speaker 1: this changed from what you could gather during question time?
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  Speaker 3: Well, the Chief Minister put on a hysterical performance in
• 10:43
  Speaker 3: response to this question instead of treating it as serious
• 10:47
  Speaker 3: as it is. We know, of course they've booted Ozmatt
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  Speaker 3: out of the facility. They don't want to talk about that,
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  Speaker 3: but it's the truth. And when Ozmat were running international quarantine,
• 10:55
  Speaker 3: which is the most high risk part of quarantine because
• 10:58
  Speaker 3: it's international arrival, those staff were being tested every single
• 11:02
  Speaker 3: day and getting their results within fifteen minutes. So it's
• 11:05
  Speaker 3: very very effective and efficient. We now know the Territory
• 11:09
  Speaker 3: government has moved into that facility, has flexed its muscles
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  Speaker 3: and now testing could take up to twenty four hours. Obviously,
• 11:17
  Speaker 3: that presents an enormous risk to the community, and the
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  Speaker 3: fact that the Chief Minister didn't even have the courtesy
• 11:23
  Speaker 3: or the care factor to answer our question properly just
• 11:26
  Speaker 3: shows how arrogant and out of touch they really are.
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  Speaker 1: This decision, though, was obviously been made by the health
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: professionals out there, I would guess, or I would assume,
• 11:34
  Speaker 1: shouldn't we listen to the advice of those health professionals?
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  Speaker 3: Well, I guess we might never know that, Katie and
• 11:39
  Speaker 3: I can't help but think there's got to be a
• 11:41
  Speaker 3: dollar figure attached to this decision. We do know that
• 11:43
  Speaker 3: the federal government giving the territory five hundred and fourteen
• 11:47
  Speaker 3: million dollars to run into national quarantine. The Chief Minister
• 11:51
  Speaker 3: sprooped that in his budget reply last week. So I
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  Speaker 3: can't understand why you would make that snap change from
• 11:57
  Speaker 3: a fifteen minute test to a twenty four hour test.
• 11:59
  Speaker 3: And to me, I almost put money on the fact
• 12:02
  Speaker 3: that there was money involved.
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: Oppositionally to lea finocquiaro. We are going to have to
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: leave it there. Good to catch up with you