Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie spoke with Federal Health Minister Greg Hun about the national response to the NT's Covid outbreak

Transcript

Katie spoke with Federal Health Minister Greg Hun about the national response to the NT's Covid outbreak · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: But as we know, nine new cases have COVID over
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: the weekend. All of the nine new cases are in
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: the Binjari community on the outskirts of Catherine. Binjari and
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: the nearby Rock Hole community have been immediately sent into
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: a hard lockdown following the announcement of those cases. Now
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: we know the federal government is understood to be deploying
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: resources to assist in the outbreak, after the Chief Minister
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: yesterday said at a press conference there is a real
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: risk that the virus has ceded into other connected communities.
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  Speaker 1: Now joining me on the line is the Federal Health Minister,
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  Speaker 1: Greg Hunt.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning to you, and good morning Katie Minister.
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  Speaker 1: The situation that we're experiencing in the Northern Territory is
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  Speaker 1: one which we'd all hope wouldn't happen COVID in a
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  Speaker 1: remote indigenous community. What support is the federal government going
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  Speaker 1: to provide at this point?
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: So across the territory, we now have one hundred and
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: five defense personnel who are supporting COVID nineteen efforts. That's
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: forty in how Its Springs and Bladon Village, and then
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: we've now deployed forty personnel and vehicles to support MPT
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: Health in the Catherine area. That's in particular with food
• 1:15
  Speaker 2: and other critical supplies. And another twenty five people with
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  Speaker 2: vehicles to support transport for isolated personnel from regional communities
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: in and around Castro and with testing and other health issues.
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  Speaker 1: And if more is.
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  Speaker 2: Needed, more will be required. We're also providing PPE assisting
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: in the vaccination program. And I have to say the
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  Speaker 2: NT vaccination rate is and has been growing for some
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  Speaker 2: weeks now at the fastest rate in the nation. So
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  Speaker 2: it's now eighty six percent all up seventy three point
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: three percent second dose. And importantly the Indigenous rate has
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: increased quite significantly to seventy six one percent. We want
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  Speaker 2: that to go higher, but will continue to work with
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  Speaker 2: the NT government and communities and Aboriginal community control health organizations.
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  Speaker 1: And I will go into those vax rates in a
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  Speaker 1: little bit more detail in just a moment, But Minister,
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  Speaker 1: can I just confirm so forty ad of personnel in
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  Speaker 1: the Catherine area and then did you say twenty five
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  Speaker 1: in the remote communities.
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  Speaker 2: Twenty five to help in with transport of isolated personnel
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  Speaker 2: from regional communities to COVID nineteen testing in and around
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  Speaker 2: Catherine to assist with the needs and movements of those communities.
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: So if you think of it as forty supporting the
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  Speaker 2: Howard Springs and Bladon Village and another sixty five supporting
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  Speaker 2: Catherine and remote communities, and that's based on the needs
• 2:48
  Speaker 2: assessment from the Anti government and we see this as
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: an absolute priority. We operate in joint planning. I'm engaged
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: with my counterpart, Minister Natasha Files every.
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: Day now on those vaccination rates. We know that it's
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  Speaker 1: being reported that the vaccination rates in Binjari and Rock
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  Speaker 1: Hole are very low. It's been reported that it's lower
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  Speaker 1: than forty percent. Do you know what the vaccination rate
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  Speaker 1: is in Binjari and also in nearby rock Hole community, So.
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  Speaker 2: Across the Katherine, Binjari and Rock Hole, I have in
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  Speaker 2: front of me the broader numbers. It's sixty four point
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  Speaker 2: six percent and forty two point nine percent Indigenous rates
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: for second dose in Robinson River as we know, it
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  Speaker 2: was eighty seven percent first dose before the outbreak and
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  Speaker 2: it's near full vaccination now. And one of the challenges
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  Speaker 2: that we faced is you can have extremely high community
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  Speaker 2: numbers such as those in Robinson River which we're at
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  Speaker 2: a really high level before the outbreak, and lower ones
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  Speaker 2: such as Binjari. It's been very much a question of
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: not access, as all of the indigenous leaders have said,
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  Speaker 2: but the position within communities and so building that confidence
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  Speaker 2: in communities is absolutely critical, and we're working with indigenous
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  Speaker 2: leaders in working with whether it's land councils, working with
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  Speaker 2: the elders on the ground. The NT has been doing
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  Speaker 2: a very good job on that front. So that is
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  Speaker 2: the main challenge. That you can have very high or
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: very low rates of identical access, but we are seeing
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  Speaker 2: significant increases in Indigenous community uptake right across the NT.
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  Speaker 1: So I suppose, you know, to really break it down
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  Speaker 1: here in Binjari and in rock Hole, are those vaccination
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  Speaker 1: rates lower than forty percent?
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  Speaker 2: I'll leave that to the NT which is releasing those
• 4:56
  Speaker 2: and they'll be providing an update today across the region
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: which covers Katherine Bingari and Rockole, which I apologize is
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  Speaker 2: the specific figure I have in front of me now,
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  Speaker 2: it's sixty four point six percent Indigenous facts rate across
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  Speaker 2: that broader area, which is it's just how the figures
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  Speaker 2: have been presented to me today.
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  Speaker 1: Minister, do you feel that enough has been done to
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  Speaker 1: ensure that Indigenous territorians where those health services are delivered
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  Speaker 1: by the archos, has enough been done to ensure that
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  Speaker 1: they are vaccinated.
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  Speaker 2: I don't think anybody could have done anymore. When you
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  Speaker 2: see an eighty seven percent rate in one community and
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  Speaker 2: a figure below forty percent and another with entirely comparable access,
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  Speaker 2: you'll see that there are very different responses. I know
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  Speaker 2: of some communities where there've been multiple visits, multiple visits
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  Speaker 2: prior to outbreaks, and you will have some external influences.
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  Speaker 3: We know that there.
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  Speaker 2: Are some religious groups from the United States that I
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: would regard as extreme and fringe and utterly reprehensible who've
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  Speaker 2: been preaching an anti vac's message occasionally that will have
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  Speaker 2: an impact in the community, as has been relayed to
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  Speaker 2: me by Pat Turner, the head of the National Aboriginal
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  Speaker 2: Community Controlled Health Organizations, by Ken Wyatt, the federal Minister
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  Speaker 2: for Indigenous Affairs. So we fight those anti vak's sentiments,
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  Speaker 2: then we continue to build the confidence and to see
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  Speaker 2: the numbers increasing around the country, and NT, to their credit,
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  Speaker 2: has a higher Indigenous vaccination rate first vaccination rate than
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  Speaker 2: the national average. There wasn't real.
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  Speaker 1: There was a real sort of emotional plea I think
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  Speaker 1: you'd call it last week from the Chief Minister, Michael
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  Speaker 1: Gunner about these vaccination numbers, almost sort of accusing the
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  Speaker 1: federal government of not providing them in those different communities
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  Speaker 1: that are managed or their health services are managed by
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  Speaker 1: the art jows is there are the figures being withheld
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  Speaker 1: here Minister No. Why do you think the Chief Minister
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  Speaker 1: said that last week?
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  Speaker 2: You'd have to ask him because that claim, I think
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  Speaker 2: they dropped that within twenty four hours. Everything that we've
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  Speaker 2: had we've provided and it's we have a very good cooperation.
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  Speaker 2: I work magnificently with Natasha Files. I've got to say
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  Speaker 2: we're obviously on different sides of the political fence, but
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  Speaker 2: we've operated as a single team and all credit to
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  Speaker 2: the way Minister Files has approached both the rollout but
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  Speaker 2: also the responsibility of being a national and territory leader.
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  Speaker 1: Minister here in the Northern Territory today we are moving
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  Speaker 1: to a Novax no travel into the Northern Territory policy.
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  Speaker 1: The Prime Minister has previously said that people shouldn't be
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  Speaker 1: discriminated against based on their vaccinations status. What do you
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: think of this stance which has been taken by the
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  Speaker 1: Northern Territory government.
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  Speaker 2: Sure, so all states and territories signed up to the
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  Speaker 2: National Plan, and as we move to the higher rates
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  Speaker 2: of vaccination, that means both an opening up and a
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  Speaker 2: return to greater freedoms. And one of the things just
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  Speaker 2: listening to this discussion and being part of it with you.
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  Speaker 2: Of course, where you are imposing rules like that, it
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  Speaker 2: will have a disproportioned impact on Indigenous communities, It will
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  Speaker 2: have a disproportionate impact on people of lower socio economic
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  Speaker 2: backgrounds and in some cases non English speaking backgrounds who've
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  Speaker 2: not taken up the vaccination option in the same way.
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  Speaker 2: As a country, we're at over ninety one percent, an incredible,
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  Speaker 2: unbelievable national achievement. But within that, even though there has
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: been massive access, we know that for historical, cultural, or
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  Speaker 2: other reasons, some groups may not have taken it up,
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  Speaker 2: and so we have to be very careful not to
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  Speaker 2: create a permanent marginalization of Indigenous Australians or those of
• 9:20
  Speaker 2: non English speaking background or of those of lower socioeconomic backgrounds.
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  Speaker 2: That would be a deeply concerning moment if we were
• 9:30
  Speaker 2: providing fewer rights to Indigenous Australians.
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  Speaker 1: Well we know today Pauline Hanson is claiming that she's
• 9:37
  Speaker 1: going to cause havoc unless Scott Morrison backs her legislation
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  Speaker 1: making it unlawful to discriminate against unvaccinated aussi's. It could
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  Speaker 1: affect the Northern Territory more than anywhere else as we
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  Speaker 1: are one of the only places where the federal government
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  Speaker 1: could obviously overrule our government. Would the government support Will
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  Speaker 1: the government be supporting that legislation?
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  Speaker 2: No? And the reason is we are a nation which
• 10:05
  Speaker 2: is based on a federal compact. So whilst we want
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  Speaker 2: to see the country opening up, we recognize that the
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  Speaker 2: laws of states and territories are nevertheless the matter and
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  Speaker 2: province of those states and territories. Ay, there's a significant
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  Speaker 2: constitutional question as to whether the Parliament could pass such legislation,
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  Speaker 2: be it centralizes almost all power in the Commonwealth, almost
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  Speaker 2: completely denew to the states. And we want to separate
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  Speaker 2: out the issues of where we have a respectful disagreement
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  Speaker 2: about a matter, will deal with that matter on its
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  Speaker 2: own merits. But tying enormous amounts of operational funding for
• 10:48
  Speaker 2: the basic duties, cares and responsibilities of the States is
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  Speaker 2: not something that we would do. But our approach is
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  Speaker 2: to be balanced to encourage Australians, all Australians, to take
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  Speaker 2: up the vaccine, but to give them the confidence to
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  Speaker 2: do that. And we've been one of the safest countries
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  Speaker 2: in the world, with one of the lowest losses of
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  Speaker 2: life in the world, with one of the highest vaccination
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  Speaker 2: rates and one of the strongest economic outcomes. And we've
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  Speaker 2: done that by focusing on health and believing in Australians.
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  Speaker 2: And that means we may not agree with some of
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  Speaker 2: the things that some of the states and territories are doing.
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  Speaker 2: We may not agree with some of the things that
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  Speaker 2: Senator Hanson is proposing. Our job is to chart that
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  Speaker 2: middle course of lives and livelihoods.
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  Speaker 1: So it doesn't sound as though the government would overturn
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  Speaker 1: the Northern Territori's vaccine mandate, particularly when you talk about
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  Speaker 1: the travel and allowing people who are vaccinated in but
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  Speaker 1: not allowing those who haven't been vaccinated.
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  Speaker 2: No, there are no plans to try to legislate to
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  Speaker 2: do that. Where we disagree because of the impact on
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  Speaker 2: marginalizing Indigenous Australians or marginalizing people of particular cultural or
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  Speaker 2: non English speaking backgrounds. I think many of our state
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  Speaker 2: and territory governments might have to think very carefully as
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  Speaker 2: to are they inadvertently imposing a form of exclusion on
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  Speaker 2: groups which already have great challenges. Are they inadvertently leading
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  Speaker 2: to those that might be less connected being even less connected?
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  Speaker 2: And those are the consequences of laws which would lock
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  Speaker 2: out unvaccinated Indigenous Australians, which would lock out people from
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  Speaker 2: lower socioeconomic or different cultural backgrounds. That's the reality that
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  Speaker 2: despite equal access, indeed despite massively focused campaigns, there hasn't
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  Speaker 2: been that same take. There's been magnificent uptake and those laws,
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  Speaker 2: those rules have a disproportionate impact as you would see
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  Speaker 2: on Indigenous Territorians on other Indigenous Australians where there's a
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  Speaker 2: difference in the uptake.
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  Speaker 1: Minister, before I let you go this morning, I know
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  Speaker 1: your press for time, as are we. But finally, we
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  Speaker 1: have had quite a lot of stress on the Northern
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  Speaker 1: Territory health system four code yellows in recent months, staff
• 13:29
  Speaker 1: shortages at Royal Darwin Hospital. Do you think the Northern
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  Speaker 1: Territory is equipped to handle a wider outbreak of COVID
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  Speaker 1: or is the federal government prepared to step in whenever required.
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  Speaker 2: So firstly, the territory has to have responsibility for their
• 13:45
  Speaker 2: own hospital system. But they have managed well, is my observation.
• 13:51
  Speaker 2: Whilst there may be some issues in terms of the
• 13:53
  Speaker 2: general preparation, all states and territories are equipped and have
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  Speaker 2: under taken to the National Cabinet that they are equipped
• 14:02
  Speaker 2: to deal with COVID outbreaks. That's been the express, clear
• 14:07
  Speaker 2: statement of the territory government to the National Cabinet and
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  Speaker 2: we trust them on that. But we've also verified through
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  Speaker 2: the work of the Dohity Institute, the work of Professor
• 14:21
  Speaker 2: Brendan Murphy, the former Chief Medical Officer and the esteem
• 14:24
  Speaker 2: Secretary of Health for Australia, that all states and territories
• 14:28
  Speaker 2: have used the last twenty months to put in place
• 14:32
  Speaker 2: preparations and we're actually seeing that now in the response,
• 14:36
  Speaker 2: whether it's in Catherine or Robinson River, whether it's the
• 14:41
  Speaker 2: support which is occurring in Minjari and elsewhere. So there
• 14:47
  Speaker 2: have been and there will be outbreaks. We need to
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  Speaker 2: be very honest about it. This is now a global
• 14:52
  Speaker 2: problem and Europe's experiencing.
• 14:54
  Speaker 3: A fourth wave.
• 14:55
  Speaker 2: Australia has been mercifully spared from so much of the
• 15:00
  Speaker 2: pain that the world has had. Our our outcome is
• 15:04
  Speaker 2: one which almost any country would have chosen over their own. Well,
• 15:09
  Speaker 2: that doesn't mean we're free of the challenges, and there'll
• 15:11
  Speaker 2: still be more, but we're as well prepared as anybody
• 15:14
  Speaker 2: in the world.
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  Speaker 1: Well, Minister for Health, the Federal Minister for Health, Greg Hunt,
• 15:18
  Speaker 1: we really appreciate your time this morning. Thanks so much
• 15:21
  Speaker 1: for speaking with us, Thanks.
• 15:22
  Speaker 2: Katie, and thanks to the territory and so coming forward
• 15:25
  Speaker 2: to be vaccinated.
• 15:26
  Speaker 3: And there's fourteen percent still to go if you're one
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  Speaker 3: of those, to echo the Chief Minister in a show bipartisanship,
• 15:36
  Speaker 3: being vaccinated can save your life and can save the
• 15:39
  Speaker 3: life of your family.
• 15:41
  Speaker 1: Thanks so much for your time this morning.
• 15:42
  Speaker 2: Minister, take care, Cheers, Thank you,