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

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Joining us in the studio to talk about this and
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: plenty more is the opposition leader Leah fan Okiro.
• 0:05
  Speaker 2: Good morning, Good morning Katie, and to your listeners.
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: Leah, I just want to talk about the situation with
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: these COVID cases. I understand that it now takes us
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: to twenty one active cases here in the Northern Territory,
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: but they are all at this Center for National Resilience.
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: But Lea, this is something that we've been speaking about
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: quite a bit. We've been talking about the COVID vaccine
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: rollout and also that transition at the Howard Springs facility
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: from the National Critical Care and Trauma Response Team to
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: the Department of Health. From your perspective, are you concerned
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: or are you feeling quite comfortable about that transition at
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: this point in time.
• 0:41
  Speaker 3: No, I'm hugely concerned about the transition, as just about
• 0:45
  Speaker 3: every territory and I speak to on this issue, Katie.
• 0:47
  Speaker 3: We know the OSMAT team are an exceptional group of
• 0:52
  Speaker 3: highly qualified professionals drawn from around the nation who have
• 0:55
  Speaker 3: managed the quarantine facility at Howard Springs to that gold standard.
• 1:00
  Speaker 3: It has absolutely been held up as the pinnacle of
• 1:03
  Speaker 3: quarantine facility in our country.
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: And probably the world Katie, and then out of nowhere.
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  Speaker 3: A little while ago we had the territory government come
• 1:11
  Speaker 3: in and say that all of a sudden, the Police
• 1:12
  Speaker 3: Commissioner would be running that facility and that I was
• 1:15
  Speaker 3: Matt would be out. And that's been followed by garbled
• 1:18
  Speaker 3: responses from the government about transitions and handovers and no
• 1:23
  Speaker 3: fixed timeframes.
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: But my memory serves me correctly.
• 1:26
  Speaker 3: It was May that oz Matt would be out, and
• 1:28
  Speaker 3: May is certainly fast approaching. We need to employ four
• 1:32
  Speaker 3: hundred people to be able to manage that facility.
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  Speaker 2: I don't know what.
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  Speaker 3: Magical employee tree that is going to come from, but
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  Speaker 3: we know the territory struggles on the best of times
• 1:42
  Speaker 3: to find qualified health professionals, let alone four hundred to
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  Speaker 3: manage a quarantine facility with people who have COVID nineteen.
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: Well, Leah, the timeframe had always been that we wouldn't
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: be really extending or expanding the number of flights that
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: come into the territory until the cyclone season is over.
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: But that is real fast coming to an end. We
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: caught up with the Health Minister on the show yesterday morning,
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: not only about the rollout of the vaccine, but also
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: asked her questions about the Howard Springs Quarantine Facility and
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: the National Critical Care and Trauma Response Team that transition.
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: Now we also ask and we confirm that those flights
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: are going to be increasing in the coming weeks. Take
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: a listen though to what the Minister had to say
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: on the show yesterday to Katie, I want.
• 2:26
  Speaker 4: To make it really clear that change will only occur
• 2:29
  Speaker 4: when OZMATT has the confidence that we have all the
• 2:31
  Speaker 4: clinical procedures in place to keep territory in safe.
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: There were plans to obviously recruit four hundred staff that
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: we're going to need to be attracted to fill those
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: roles once the change over happened. Where are you adding
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: terms of this recruitment, how many staff have now been recruited, Katy.
• 2:47
  Speaker 4: I don't have the latest figure, but when I was
• 2:49
  Speaker 4: at the facility a couple of weeks ago, around seventy
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  Speaker 4: staff have already been recruited. Now some stuff are going
• 2:54
  Speaker 4: to come across from OZMA to MTG, but that recruitment
• 2:58
  Speaker 4: is going well for the facility, and like I said,
• 3:01
  Speaker 4: we won't be changing from the OZMAT model to NTG
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  Speaker 4: until we have absolute confidence that we have those clinical
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  Speaker 4: processes and the plans in place as well as the
• 3:11
  Speaker 4: staff to make sure that that can be executed.
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: Lia, does that go far enough? Does that set your
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: mind to ease?
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  Speaker 2: No, it doesn't.
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  Speaker 3: And again we get, you know, effectively weasel words from
• 3:21
  Speaker 3: the government on this issue. In her first breath she
• 3:23
  Speaker 3: said it would be when Osmat decide that we've got
• 3:25
  Speaker 3: the clinical capability, and in her last breast she said,
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  Speaker 3: you know, we'll make sure everything's fine and will decide,
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  Speaker 3: so you know which one is it. I think it's
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  Speaker 3: impossible basically for us to attract four hundred health professionals
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  Speaker 3: capable of running a quarantine facility with increased repatriation flights
• 3:42
  Speaker 3: coming in. The ozmat team have led the way. You know,
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  Speaker 3: we have to consider questions like how many people with
• 3:49
  Speaker 3: COVID nineteen can that facility handle? I think you mentioned
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  Speaker 3: earlier Katie, we've got something like twenty one people with
• 3:55
  Speaker 3: COVID nineteen at the moment. Does the government have a
• 3:59
  Speaker 3: plan for the tear ritory around what its capacity of
• 4:01
  Speaker 3: positive cases are and where our health system comes under strain?
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: So, Leah, what do you reckon we need to do here?
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  Speaker 1: Do you think that realistically we need to be getting
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: back in contact with the federal Health Minister, with the
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: federal government and saying we do not have the capability
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: to do this. Do you really think that that's the option.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, I think we need to keep OZMA in that facility.
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  Speaker 3: I think it's really really important. Of course, our health
• 4:24
  Speaker 3: professionals in the territory and our health staff do an
• 4:26
  Speaker 3: amazing job, but this is an extraordinary global pandemic that
• 4:30
  Speaker 3: has wiped out in you know, it's just an extraordinary thing.
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  Speaker 3: It is an extraordinary thing, and I don't think we
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  Speaker 3: should start experimenting now when we've had such a good
• 4:40
  Speaker 3: track record. I think the model speaks for itself in
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  Speaker 3: terms of its excellent way in which it has not
• 4:46
  Speaker 3: allowed COVID to come out from that facility. But plenty
• 4:50
  Speaker 3: of questions remain, and certainly we're seeing more and more
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  Speaker 3: cases come from these repatriation flights.
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  Speaker 1: And you know, there is your message for the government today,
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  Speaker 1: whole off on those extra flights until we have the staff.
• 5:03
  Speaker 3: Well, I think it's hold off on taking over Howard Springs.
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  Speaker 3: It's not so much the extra flights, it's leave OZMAT
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  Speaker 3: in place to do the job that they need to
• 5:12
  Speaker 3: do and use Territory Health to wrap around and provide
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  Speaker 3: the support four hundred jobs. I mean I have only
• 5:18
  Speaker 3: achieved seventy out of four hundred.
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  Speaker 2: Is not a good track record.
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  Speaker 3: That's not showing that we're even anywhere close to getting
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  Speaker 3: four hundred. So I think OZMA needs to stay in place.
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  Speaker 3: People will continue to have greater confidence in the facility.
• 5:33
  Speaker 3: We struggle at the moment to get surgeons health professionals.
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  Speaker 2: I mean we've got surgeons missing from Royal Darwin Hospital.
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  Speaker 3: I think there's about eight positions vacant there. We know
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  Speaker 3: Catherine's in trouble, Katie so well.
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  Speaker 1: Today there is actually a story which is being reported
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: on the ABC News about the recruitment of a position
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: in Catherine to oversee that emergency ward. As I understand
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: that we are going to catch up with the AMA,
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: doctor Robert Parker is going to join us in about
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: fifty minutes time to talk further about that. LEA, I
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: want to just head across and talk about the issue
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: of funding remote police. Now we know it's not a
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: new one, but discussion in this space has been ongoing
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  Speaker 1: really for quite some time. But yesterday SALP Senator Sam
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: McMahon said that she's working towards extending that remote police
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: funding in the Northern Territory. However, arrangements need to be
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: tightened to ensure that there are better staffing and infrastructure
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: outcomes for territory police. Lea. Do you feel as though
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: the infrastructure that is supporting our police in remote communities
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  Speaker 1: is adequate?
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  Speaker 3: No, And when you go out there it speaks for itself, Katie.
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  Speaker 3: We've got police living in you know, it's almost like
• 6:39
  Speaker 3: shipping containers, you know, demandable type arrangements, very very old
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  Speaker 3: buildings and just not appropriately set up to house and
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  Speaker 3: support police who do an incredible job right across the territory.
• 6:53
  Speaker 3: That funding is really important. It's something we've all been
• 6:55
  Speaker 3: championing for a long time.
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  Speaker 1: Extended.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, and I've spoken to Ken White, the minister, the
• 7:01
  Speaker 3: federal minister about it and written to him. It's certainly
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  Speaker 3: front of mine for us, something I speak to the
• 7:05
  Speaker 3: Police Association about. But Senator McMahon is correct, you know,
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  Speaker 3: she's got concerns about you know, the government is getting
• 7:12
  Speaker 3: that money already, so it hasn't ended yet, and yet
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  Speaker 3: we have.
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  Speaker 2: These huge shortages right across the territory.
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  Speaker 3: So what is that money being spent on and is
• 7:21
  Speaker 3: that money being spent where it needs to go? So
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  Speaker 3: I think the concerns from the Senator are absolutely valid.
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  Speaker 3: You know, if federal money is going to come in,
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  Speaker 3: it has to be spent on the ground, It has
• 7:31
  Speaker 3: to reach the point that we most need it. And
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  Speaker 3: you know, we know the territory government has a long
• 7:35
  Speaker 3: history of taking federal government money and then no.
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  Speaker 2: One ever knows where it ends up.
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  Speaker 3: But you know, policing is a critical issue and you
• 7:43
  Speaker 3: know we've got to be doing everything we can.
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  Speaker 1: Lea are these specific communities in the Northern Territory where
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  Speaker 1: you feel as though the infrastructure isn't adequate right now?
• 7:51
  Speaker 3: Oh well, certainly all of those old demis stations. You know,
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  Speaker 3: we need to be really looking at those. I mean
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  Speaker 3: that our per police station was closed over near the
• 8:01
  Speaker 3: Queensland border. That's something we talk about just about every
• 8:04
  Speaker 3: parliament I know Steve Edgington, the Member for Barkley, is
• 8:07
  Speaker 3: hot on that one. You know, there's and if we
• 8:10
  Speaker 3: did have that station open, and when we did have
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  Speaker 3: a resource, we could really deal with the secondary supply.
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  Speaker 3: Is she's coming over from Queensland, you know, all of
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  Speaker 3: these decisions government may have flow on effects, and it's
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  Speaker 3: not police's fault not to mention the attrition rate at
• 8:23
  Speaker 3: the moment. With fourteen leaving the force last fortnight, I mean,
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  Speaker 3: it's just extraordinary. And this government is doing this huge
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  Speaker 3: push and pumping out recruits out of the college like
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  Speaker 3: you wouldn't believe at the moment, Katie, But it's almost
• 8:34
  Speaker 3: too little, too late. And in the meantime we're not,
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  Speaker 3: you know, plugging the holes in our leaky bucket. We've
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  Speaker 3: still got police leaving and the government doesn't really seem
• 8:42
  Speaker 3: to understand why that.
• 8:44
  Speaker 2: Is or even care why that is.
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  Speaker 3: And these are people who who've put their hand up
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  Speaker 3: to serve and protect. It's a tremendous thing that police
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  Speaker 3: officers do, and you know, we need to be understanding
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  Speaker 3: why they're leaving, how we can make their time and
• 8:57
  Speaker 3: the police force better and in ensuring we support them
• 9:00
  Speaker 3: to support us Lea.
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: I do want to ask you yesterday Territorians were pretty
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: shocked after vision was shared of an alleged theft and
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: assault at the Winelli supermarket. Have you seen that vision
• 9:11
  Speaker 1: and what was your reaction?
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  Speaker 3: Oh, it's just terrible. I just feel for the staff,
• 9:16
  Speaker 3: and you know they're not alone. We saw Molden Supermarket
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  Speaker 3: the same thing a couple of weeks ago, and it's
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  Speaker 3: just horrific. People don't deserve to live in fear and
• 9:27
  Speaker 3: be having to defend their homes, defend their families, defend
• 9:31
  Speaker 3: their businesses in the way that we are. It's you know,
• 9:34
  Speaker 3: the government is just completely offender focus. They are only
• 9:38
  Speaker 3: talking or caring about the offender and they say all
• 9:40
  Speaker 3: these lovely words like one crime is one too many. Well,
• 9:44
  Speaker 3: you know, it's nearly been five years, Like what are
• 9:47
  Speaker 3: you guys doing. We could have dealt with some of
• 9:49
  Speaker 3: these issues, you know, many parliaments ago, but we certainly
• 9:53
  Speaker 3: had our own legislation on the table a month ago.
• 9:55
  Speaker 1: Do you reckon this legislation is going to get across
• 9:57
  Speaker 1: the line in May?
• 9:58
  Speaker 3: Well, we haven't seen it even seeing what the government
• 10:01
  Speaker 3: is doing. We haven't heard any more about it. We
• 10:03
  Speaker 3: don't know if the government have decided to do it urgently.
• 10:07
  Speaker 3: So there's a lot of questions that remain.
• 10:09
  Speaker 2: I mean, you know, who know.
• 10:10
  Speaker 1: You anticipate that you will see that legislation.
• 10:14
  Speaker 3: Well, probably right on the floor of Parliament before they
• 10:17
  Speaker 3: do it. I mean hopefully in the first week of sittings,
• 10:19
  Speaker 3: but you know, that's budget week and I imagine the
• 10:22
  Speaker 3: government are going to be wanting to talk about their
• 10:25
  Speaker 3: hideous levels of debt or something like that.
• 10:27
  Speaker 2: Katie.
• 10:28
  Speaker 1: I suppose we'll have to wait and see when we
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: get a little bit closer to that date. Lea, just
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: before we wrap up, I understand on your way into
• 10:35
  Speaker 1: town this morning, are you were certainly caught near that
• 10:38
  Speaker 1: crash that had happened. Was the road all clear? And
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: did everybody seem as though though okay?
• 10:43
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I was there like very imminently after, so I
• 10:47
  Speaker 3: pulled over and contacted the police straight away, and other
• 10:50
  Speaker 3: people driving past hopped out supported the people in their vehicles,
• 10:55
  Speaker 3: and it was really it was just so sad, and
• 10:57
  Speaker 3: my heart goes out to those people involved, and I
• 10:59
  Speaker 3: certainly hope that everything's okay. But from a community perspective,
• 11:03
  Speaker 3: as I stood there on the side of the road
• 11:04
  Speaker 3: on the phone to police, you know, we had cars
• 11:06
  Speaker 3: pull over, people support the people in the crash. Then
• 11:08
  Speaker 3: we had other people come trades with you. They hooked
• 11:12
  Speaker 3: up the vehicle and tried to pull it off the road.
• 11:14
  Speaker 3: Then we had road traffic people just stop on their
• 11:17
  Speaker 3: way to work and start managing the traffic, and it
• 11:19
  Speaker 3: was just this whole community came out in support of
• 11:22
  Speaker 3: what had happened, and it was just so heartening to see.
• 11:25
  Speaker 3: But I, you know, it's just a horrible thing car accidents,
• 11:28
  Speaker 3: and I certainly hope everyone involved is okay.
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely well Leathanocchiara Opposition later. Always good to catch
• 11:35
  Speaker 1: up with you. Thanks so much for your time, Tank.
• 11:37
  Speaker 2: You take care everyone