Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Chief Minister Natasha Fyles on the dropping of the NT's vaccine mandate

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Chief Minister Natasha Fyles on the dropping of the NT's vaccine mandate · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: The Northern Territory Chief Minister has just come out of
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  Speaker 1: that announcement around the emergency Health declaration and what it
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  Speaker 1: means for Territori, and she joins us on the line
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  Speaker 1: right now, Natasha Files, good morning to you.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning, Katie, Chief Minister.
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  Speaker 1: What exactly has been announced this morning as of June sixteen?
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  Speaker 2: So, Katie, over the past two years, the declarations under
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  Speaker 2: the Public Health and Emergency Act have kept territory in safe.
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  Speaker 2: But what we have just announced is the advice from
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  Speaker 2: our Acting Chief Health Officer through the SEMPSI meeting that
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  Speaker 2: happened early this morning, is that we will not be
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  Speaker 2: extending the Public Health Emergency. So at eleven fifty nine
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  Speaker 2: pm next Wednesday evening, the Public Health Emergency in the
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  Speaker 2: Northern Territory will end. It won't be resigned as it
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  Speaker 2: has previously.
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  Speaker 1: So what does that mean when it comes to the
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  Speaker 1: vaccine mandate? This is it. It's lifted from from June, sorry,
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  Speaker 1: June sixteenth, correct, So how come it's taken so long
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  Speaker 1: to get to the point where we were the vaccine mandate?
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  Speaker 2: Katie. I know people are fatigued talking about COVID, but
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  Speaker 2: it really hasn't taken so long. What we have as
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  Speaker 2: we've had this meeting this morning, we've gone straight out
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  Speaker 2: to the community and provided that information. What you've seen
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  Speaker 2: over the last couple of weeks with the COVID numbers
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  Speaker 2: in the Northern Territory is they have stagnated. We've still
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  Speaker 2: got people with COVID in the territory. It's still prevalent.
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  Speaker 2: But the decision was made based on the epidemiology of
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  Speaker 2: the virus, the current vaccination rates and the prevalence of
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  Speaker 2: COVID and the way it's behaving in our community.
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  Speaker 1: Now. One listener's just been in contact and wants to know,
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  Speaker 1: so can people start employing non vaccinated people now?
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  Speaker 2: So that will be from eleven to fifty nine pm
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  Speaker 2: next Wednesday, when the public health emergency ends. So, Katie,
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  Speaker 2: what we've done today and this will certainly get this
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  Speaker 2: information out, is we've announced the show directions that will
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  Speaker 2: be revoked. There's a number of them, Katie, the safety
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  Speaker 2: measures for businesses, major events needing to have to do
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  Speaker 2: those major event plans, cruise ships having a cap on numbers,
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  Speaker 2: and of course, which we've just been speaking about, the
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  Speaker 2: mandatory vaccination. There will be just a small number of
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  Speaker 2: chow directions that remain, and that is presently for infected
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  Speaker 2: persons to have a period of isolation, for people to
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  Speaker 2: test and for the recording of that positive rapid antigen test,
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  Speaker 2: and also for wearing masks in high risk settings such
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  Speaker 2: as a hospital or a prison, and the ability for
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  Speaker 2: police to enforce those chow directions that I just referred to.
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  Speaker 2: But it's certainly a significant step forward for the Northern
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  Speaker 2: Territory as we go from a pandemic to an endemic.
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  Speaker 1: So will people still have to isolate for seven days
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  Speaker 1: if they have COVID?
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  Speaker 2: Presently that's the advice, Katie, but that is something that
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  Speaker 2: has been considered at a national level. There's been conversations
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  Speaker 2: around what is the appropriate isolation period for people that
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  Speaker 2: are infected or test positive.
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  Speaker 1: To COVID, And so you just touched on some of
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  Speaker 1: those major events. For example, they've had to go to
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  Speaker 1: the degree of putting together quite extentive COVID plans. As
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  Speaker 1: of June sixteen, is that no longer the case, so.
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  Speaker 2: Katie, in terms of the show approval, it's not required
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  Speaker 2: for an event of any size, but we do encourage,
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  Speaker 2: you know, COVID safety plans looking at you know, watch
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  Speaker 2: those events, you know, entail and how best we can
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  Speaker 2: protect the community. But show approval is not required for
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  Speaker 2: events of any size.
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  Speaker 1: Now, what about those testing clinics and vaccination clinics and
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  Speaker 1: also Howard Springs, what's happening with them?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, really important information, Katie, and will make sure that
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  Speaker 2: you get this information. I know your listeners will have
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  Speaker 2: lots of questions over the coming days. But in terms
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  Speaker 2: of the Center for National Resilience, it will cease operations
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  Speaker 2: from June thirty, but it will be ready to be
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  Speaker 2: stood up if and when it's needed. And I'd just
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  Speaker 2: like to give a shout out to the OSMAT and
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  Speaker 2: seeing our staff who have worked there. In terms of
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  Speaker 2: the Morale Vaccine Clinic and the Nebo Road facility here
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  Speaker 2: in the top end, both of those facilities will be
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  Speaker 2: stood down and across the regions. I know you've got
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  Speaker 2: listeners in Catherine and Alice Springs. The posture will be
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  Speaker 2: that those services around testing and vaccination will be a
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  Speaker 2: business as usual approach for COVID, as we see with
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  Speaker 2: other vaccine such as the flu vaccine. So GPS pharmacists,
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  Speaker 2: aboriginal medical organizations and of course NT Health through our
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  Speaker 2: community care clinic.
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  Speaker 1: I've got a message that's come through from Judas. Judas
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  Speaker 1: wants to know Katie, could you please ask Minister Files,
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  Speaker 1: the Chief Minister, why she's waiting until the sixteenth and
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  Speaker 1: not just stopping the vaccine mandate from now.
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  Speaker 2: Important question and the health advice is for us not
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  Speaker 2: to continue that public health emergency and that the Chow
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  Speaker 2: directions that were in place under it should not go forward.
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  Speaker 2: You know, in terms of bringing these chow directions in
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  Speaker 2: many weeks and months were provided and we need to
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  Speaker 2: allow because there is very small number, but there is
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  Speaker 2: some Chow directions remaining, so we do need people to
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  Speaker 2: make sure they get the correct information and implement it correctly.
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  Speaker 1: But surely you know, the health advice isn't different today
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  Speaker 1: is what it is going to be on the sixteenth
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  Speaker 1: with that vaccine mandate.
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  Speaker 2: So the meeting that we attended this morning with our
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  Speaker 2: acting Chief Health Officer was that we should not continue
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  Speaker 2: the declaration of emergency and we should outline to the
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  Speaker 2: community what that will mean going forward. We've provided that
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  Speaker 2: today and there's now less than a week for territoriums
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  Speaker 2: to absorb that information. And put it into place.
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  Speaker 1: Now, I know we've got very limited time with you,
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  Speaker 1: so just one more listener question. Somebody wants to know
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  Speaker 1: would people who have to isolate be able to get
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  Speaker 1: financial help?
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  Speaker 2: Still, So, Katie, we've put in place a number of
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  Speaker 2: schemes across the pandemic, and in my heart goes out
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  Speaker 2: to business as individuals. There's been so many different circumstances,
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  Speaker 2: but we currently have some schemes in place to support
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  Speaker 2: business and so there is also has been some Commonwealth
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  Speaker 2: government support, but as far as I'm aware, there hasn't
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  Speaker 2: been specific support around that question for some time. So
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  Speaker 2: we're certainly stepping forward from the pandemic to the endemic
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  Speaker 2: and a business as approach.
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  Speaker 1: Well, Natasha Files, Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, we
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  Speaker 1: appreciate you having a brief chat with us this morning.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for your time.
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  Speaker 2: Take care,