The Week That Was – 3rd May 2024

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Very good morning and welcome to the show. It is
Friday morning. It's time for the Week that was and
joining us in the studio this morning, we've got the
Minister for Education and various other portfolios.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
Mark Monaghan, good morning.

Speaker 3 (00:12):
Good morning Katie. It's nice to be here.

Speaker 1 (00:15):
First time, can I say I Reckon it's your first
time in for the week that was?

Speaker 3 (00:18):
Look Out, I'm feeling the ghosts of David told you
and Damian Hale and also.

Speaker 2 (00:24):
You're actually sitting in Dave's old summon.

Speaker 3 (00:27):
Is there a few durries lying around here somewhere.

Speaker 4 (00:31):
And no, no, no, mye coffee's over there. Affe, Oh
we miss Dave now also in the studio with us
this morning. Georg Gy Dickinson from nine News, Good morning
to you.

Speaker 2 (00:42):
Happy Friday, Amy.

Speaker 1 (00:43):
Friday, Keizier Puic, good morning to you the Independence member
for Goider.

Speaker 5 (00:47):
Morning, Katie, Morning Bush people. I've just been looking at
the odds again. Oh how are they looking well? Colp
have dropped more, which is good for them. They're dollars
seventy to win. Sorry Mark, you've blown out to two
dollars twenty to win.

Speaker 3 (01:00):
Personal Bookie, keys Press and any.

Speaker 5 (01:02):
Other I don't know who that's meant to be. That
those funny, those washed out greenees.

Speaker 1 (01:08):
So greenies morning everyone, Good morning keys here and we've
also got Murray Claire Boothby from VCLP at Shadow Minister
for various portfolios.

Speaker 2 (01:18):
Thank you lovely to have you all in the studio now.
I tell you what.

Speaker 1 (01:22):
It has been a massive week, from visits from the
Prime Minister to catching million dollar fish and all sorts
of things. It's been a massive week in politics. And
as we know, the Prime Minister visited Alice Springs earlier
in the week, the Commonwealth announcing an extra eight million
dollars for public school upgrades in the Northern Territory, in
addition to the fourteen million dollars that it pledged on

(01:44):
Monday for extra police and community support. The Prime Minister
in Alice Springs to assess the early outcomes of the
Federal government's two hundred and fifty million dollar package for
Central Australia. There's been quite a bit going on in Alice.
I guess some people were kind of questioning what exactly
is he there for, but by the look of it,
there to get a bit of an update see how

(02:05):
things are going in Central Australia, following on from what's
been a really difficult time for the Red Center. I mean,
what did we make of the PM's visit?

Speaker 6 (02:14):
Well, what did he actually do?

Speaker 2 (02:15):
What did he come to ills extra money? I mean
fourteen or million?

Speaker 5 (02:19):
We haven't got the two hundred and fifty million from
last time. He flew into town and flew out like
a bumblebee.

Speaker 2 (02:25):
Seriously, I think they've I.

Speaker 3 (02:28):
Can see why this is so much fun.

Speaker 2 (02:31):
It's definitely some money that's gone in people he did.

Speaker 5 (02:34):
Did he met in the Chamber of Commerce and I
know Chancey Pate was down there for the NT government
because let's be honest, the Prime Minister of the country
doesn't come into a jurisdiction without the courtesy of meeting
with anti government people and having them in attendance.

Speaker 6 (02:47):
And I think some of his Federal College. I mean,
I'm not quite sure.

Speaker 5 (02:49):
What Linda Bernie, the Federal Minister Fabriitional Affairs, would do
in town other than just support her prime minister.

Speaker 6 (02:54):
But what did he really do? It had another fourteen million?

Speaker 3 (02:56):
Yeah, well from our perspective, its great. It's got to
seem go to our high school there at Centralion and
because they've actually from the money they've got from the
full school funding out of that two hundred and fifty million,
they've actually been able to put a lot of more
engagement programs in and we've seen, like whilst I don't
want to talk about boosting numbers or attendants at this point,

(03:18):
you have seen little fluctuations going up with that and
it doesn't surprise me. So he can come back any
time he likes and give us money. I'm very happy
for that to occur. And the fact that he's given
us an extra forteen million dollars for the police down
there or enable us to continue to do.

Speaker 1 (03:35):
We know that he is going to be Is it
for additional police and is that part of the announcement
that Brent Porter had made then yesterday While the.

Speaker 3 (03:43):
Announcement I think mister Potter made yesterday was more around
the new tactical group for Central Australia. But it's definitely
for police. It's for police boots on the ground, and
we know that's what makes a difference when people see police,
people are.

Speaker 2 (03:57):
Confidence makes it too much difference.

Speaker 7 (03:59):
He and a lot of people, when he comes in,
he flies in, flies out in a day, so a
lot of people don't really have much faith that he's
actually here to deliver and give us money and fix
the problems like the dB crisis that we're seeing. Obviously
they've pledged almost a billion dollars to fix or help
fix part of that crisis. But when you just see
the Prime Minister fly and fly out, it doesn't give
us much faith that he's actually here other than just

(04:20):
to I guess show people that he a visit, but
it's not really actually delivering what we need. Do you
think that the staying overnight made much of a difference.
Do you think that it gave people any more confidence?

Speaker 6 (04:32):
It was just tired and needed a bed.

Speaker 3 (04:37):
Pritist, he has been to the to the territory I
think ten or eleven times.

Speaker 2 (04:41):
The hours aquat.

Speaker 3 (04:47):
That you can imagine that he's getting pulled from pillar
to post everywhere in Australia who have all their their
own agendas his job. But again we give credit he
has been here over eleven times and I appreciate that
because every time he comes into in I get the
opportune to have a word in his ear and to
and I dare say a lot of that's enabled us,

(05:08):
particularly with our funding and education and the degreements that
we'll sign hopefully in the next couple of months with
Jason clear for that to happen.

Speaker 8 (05:15):
So I think Alice Springs people tell us all the
time that they saw him come twelve months ago they
announced this massive package of two hundred and fifty million dollars.
We know that only a portion of that has been
spent in Alic Springs. So it really goes to the
delivery of when the territory government is given money by
the federal government, we need to see real outcomes on

(05:38):
the ground, and unfortunately Alice Springs is the prime example
of how the people that live there and the business
operators and our tourism sector down there have just been
suffering for many, many years. I mean the tourism sector alone.
If we don't have a good season this year, that's
their fifth in a row. So for the Prime Minister
just to sort of fly and fly out talk about
all this money, but twelveth on like literally see no difference.

Speaker 1 (06:03):
And look what al One of the big discussions that
we've had as well throughout this week a report by
the ABC Online, an Aboriginal controlled organization paid tens of
millions of dollars in government grants each year to help
improve social issues in Alice Springs has come under fire
for declining meetings, allegedly failing to deliver services adequately, and
allowing a convicted domestic violence offender to sit on its board.

(06:28):
Now Tonguanjia Council Aboriginal Corporation is one of Australia's largest
controlled Aboriginal controlled organizations and it's funded to provide housing,
safety and youth services for Aboriginal people in Alice Springs.
In the past financial year, it collected more than thirty
million dollars in government grants and contracts, including for servicing

(06:48):
sixteen town camps dotted across Alice Springs fringes, as well
as a women's safety group and family violence prevention programs.
Part According to the ABC, the organization, which in eloys
about three hundred people, hasn't released an annual report since
twenty eighteen. Now it goes to the heart I think
of some of these discussions that have been had in

(07:10):
recent weeks. I know even we had Marian scrimdor On
just a few weeks ago who had said Katie, we
do need to be able to audit every organization that
is receiving federal government funding. I think it goes without
saying that you know that there does need to be
KPIs met for any organization receiving funding.

Speaker 2 (07:26):
But it beggars belief.

Speaker 1 (07:28):
To me that we have got an organization that's receiving
thirty million dollars in government grants that then is not
releasing an annual report since twenty eighteen. And I do
question what would happen if another organization didn't do that.

Speaker 7 (07:43):
You shut down?

Speaker 8 (07:44):
Yeah, And this is this is why we have been
calling for an audit into all of this money that
does go in to the Northern Territory because this is
just one example. I mean the NGO space. There's a
lot of money that gets poured into that. And because
the in this case, they're not doing an annual report,
and there's you know, we haven't seen the KPIs and
how they're met. We're not going to be able to

(08:06):
know what's working and what's not. But what we do
know is that things are not better. Crime is worse,
and domestic violence is worse, and alcohol related assaults are worse.
And so this is why it is so important that
you know, the federal government have their policy legislation come
in so they can do an audit. The Northern Territory
government actually say yes, we're going to be open and transparent.
We're going to look at all these NGOs. Let's work

(08:28):
out what's working, what's not so we can move forward.

Speaker 7 (08:31):
But also the fact they've got an alleged domestic violence
perpetrator on their board is a bit hypocritical. When you're
there try and give money and help to organizations to
support victims of domestic violence, and you're supporting an alleged
domestic violence perpetrated.

Speaker 1 (08:45):
Well, and we know that when just months ago, when
we're in a situation where Steve Edgington allegedly imployed or
had employed somebody who was.

Speaker 2 (08:53):
An alleged and the government came down heavy, that's exactly right.

Speaker 1 (08:56):
And so I think, you know, we like, we've got
to make sure that that obviously we're fair and equitable
no matter what you're talking about. But I think that
for a lot of people listening, particularly if you're somebody
that's maybe on the board of a charity, if you're
on the board of a community organization, if you're on
the board, or if you you know, on a committee
for any of those there is an expectation if you're

(09:17):
receiving federal or Northern territory government funding, that it has
to be acquisted and.

Speaker 2 (09:21):
That there is an annual report.

Speaker 1 (09:22):
I mean, in a lot of cases that is part
of your reporting schedule, Katie.

Speaker 5 (09:26):
The fact that they haven't delivered an annual report since
twenty eighteen was it means they haven't done ordered accounts.
So how do we know because the ordered accounts are
part of your annual reporting, So how do we know
that this organization is actually got good governance at all?

Speaker 6 (09:41):
How do we know these.

Speaker 5 (09:43):
How do money is being spent appropriately? I mean, they're
employing three hundred people, which is a very large organization,
So that means I'm more concerned about the governance point
of view at this point of view and this standing
and the fact that there's been no ordered accounts, which
means we've got no bloody idea how they've been spending
that thirty million dollars.

Speaker 6 (10:01):
Per year or just repe that was for the last
fine and eight ninety that's.

Speaker 5 (10:07):
Six years times three six a one hundred and eighty
million dollars. Perhaps or potentially they've received from the Commonwealth
We've got no bloody idea where it's been spent.

Speaker 3 (10:16):
And I want to make it really clear that I
don't care if it's thirty million dollars or a dollar.
If it's if it's public money, they need to account
for it properly. There is no You're not going to
get an argument from me. And it doesn't matter which
NGO it is, or which which sector is, whether it's
a local football club that's getting government money, whatever it's
it's government money and it's given to you for a

(10:38):
certain purpose, and they will be held accountable for.

Speaker 7 (10:41):
That to make sure that those and your reports are
put forward because at.

Speaker 2 (10:45):
The end of the day is where it's gone.

Speaker 3 (10:47):
Yea, at the end of the day, whatever their requirements
are under the Act, they will have to meet act
and we.

Speaker 2 (10:52):
Will see part of it.

Speaker 3 (10:53):
Well you would you would think so, you'd assume soir.
And like the other other aspect of it is the
one aspect we can't stand. We won't step into, is
what your board makeup looks like, because that's not in
our control. That's up to you, to your organization. And
if we start doing that then that would is crazy.

Speaker 8 (11:11):
Commission.

Speaker 3 (11:13):
Well, that's exactly right. But that's a different that's a
different issue completely. Depending if there's a something that's criminally happened,
that's wrong or whatever, the appropriate authority will step in
for that individual. But we will not get involved in
electing boards of NNGA.

Speaker 1 (11:27):
So just in this situation though, I guess, so just
separating the board members and talking about the finances more,
you know, more definitively, what is the government going to
do now in this situation where you have got an
Aboriginal run organization, Let's receive thirty million dollars according to
this report by the ABC over the last financial year.

(11:50):
Yet haven't done that annual report since twenty eighteen. Like
I said, it beggars believe to a lot of people listening.

Speaker 3 (11:55):
Yeah, And as I said, one of the most crucial
things is the intervention. And as interventions happen in a
lot of organizations across the board, one of the one
of the challenging things with such a little population in
the in the territory, whether again you're working a football
club or a hockey club, or whether you're working a big,
big Aboriginal court corporation, is the governance. Governance is challenging,

(12:19):
and so the first thing, I would assume it's not
obviously in my lane, but I would assume that the
departments and ministers will be very keen on is the
support chip put in place to ensure that you can
enable quality governs?

Speaker 2 (12:33):
I understand that, But hasn't it happened since two I.

Speaker 3 (12:36):
Can't say that. I can't say that processes haven't happened,
I have started or whatever. I don't have that six years.

Speaker 5 (12:42):
And if they're non churchy organization, they've been incorporated on
our Northern Churchy Associations Act. So why isn't the relevant
govern agency? See they wouldn't have They haven't fielded any
reports to the Government Department anti government department for six
years and that should have been chased up. When I
worked at the Mineral's Council, we're an incorporated association, had
to deliver our was by September shears something like that

(13:03):
and if.

Speaker 6 (13:03):
You didn't get them you'd be bloody fined. And she
followed up literally within four months. So what's been going
on with that Department of Business?

Speaker 1 (13:11):
Well, you know, this is the thing, and I think
that's like we're talking about we are talking about taxpayers money,
whether you're talking about it from the federal government or
the Northern Territory government. It is taxpayers dollars, but they
are receiving those dollars to provide a service, and that
is to make sure that you know that maintenance is
upheld on homes. It is to ensure that rubbish is

(13:33):
cleared away. And if that is not happening, and if
that is then impacting on some of our most impoverished territorians,
why is it not happening and why is that money
continuing to be invested or spent there if there.

Speaker 2 (13:46):
Are not outcomes.

Speaker 1 (13:47):
I'd be very keen to find out if there's been
any complaints made to the Northern Territory Government over the
last couple of years about some of those services not
being delivered, and then whether they've been looked into.

Speaker 2 (13:59):
And I know that Mark wouldn't.

Speaker 3 (14:00):
Have that in the experienced in the remote communities, living
in remote communities and across the board from time to
you get a lot of those complaints from as you
do with people in the city who who don't have
their services delivered a time, or grasses cut particular time
and verges and all sorts of things. But the key
thing is here is ensuring the capability that they have

(14:24):
to enable to deliver what they we're funded for is
the most important thing.

Speaker 2 (14:28):
What do you mean by that that they don't have
the staff to.

Speaker 3 (14:30):
Do it or that they, as I said, from time
to time, a lot of the organizations struggle with governance
and capability. We all do, we employed people, and we
struggle from time to time with that capability.

Speaker 2 (14:42):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (14:43):
Well, I don't know, because again I have six years
I haven't had the oversight of being able to see
some of the First of all, I don't know what
they're funded for because i'm I do know that some
of the town camps are supported by them for ubbish
collection and various other things I would assume like a
normal local council, So it'd expect that's what they're funded for.

(15:08):
Do I know of complaints of those services not being delivered?

Speaker 1 (15:12):
Can?

Speaker 3 (15:13):
At times? There are, absolutely, because I see in other places.

Speaker 7 (15:17):
The CEO also acquent to the ABC report refusing to
meet with the town council mayor, and it's like, if
this organization needs to be working in conjunction with the
community and obviously therefore the council, why are they not
meeting with them?

Speaker 1 (15:31):
It's yes, absolutely iculous. There needs to be cooperation from everybody.
And I think that when we're in a situation like
we've seen in Ella Springs and you've got a major organization,
then that seemingly is not coming to the table and
having those discussions. It seems like a real shortfalling. And
I don't know why that's happening, but I would think
that there's definitely levers that can be pulled if you

(15:51):
are receiving Northern Territory and federal government funding.

Speaker 2 (15:54):
Look, we're going to take a really quick break.

Speaker 1 (15:56):
You're listening to Mix one O four point nine if
you've just joined us this morning in this sty studio.
We've got Murray, Clai booth By, Keesy Apuic, Georgie Dickerson
and also Mark Monahan. Now there's been so much happened
throughout this week, but I tell you what, one hundred
and thirteen days until the Northern Territory election. If my
listeners are correct, because they do count it down for me,
they remember, and I'm.

Speaker 2 (16:17):
Appreciative for that.

Speaker 1 (16:18):
But we know that I guess you know, the budget
announcements or the budget allocations and the election pledges are.

Speaker 2 (16:28):
Coming in thick and fast.

Speaker 1 (16:29):
Now we know that the Northern Territory government so that
they are going to grow the Northern Territory health budget
by two hundred million dollars to two point two billion
dollars this year and include plans to build two new
health facilities in Palmerston and Bora Lula. So preparation work
for a one hundred and twenty bet aged care facility
in Palmiston's going to begin with ten million dollars invested

(16:51):
to service that land in the Palmeston Regional Health Precinct
for the new facility, and two million dollars going towards
the design of that facility. On the face of it,
this is definitely a step in the right direction. Still
got to secure that federal government funding. But by all accounts,
you know, by doing this work it makes it much
more possible for us. I suppose, and we know that

(17:13):
we've had code yellows. We know that we've had a
lot of stress on our hospital system and quite often
we do see a situation where we have.

Speaker 2 (17:22):
People that are more would be much more.

Speaker 1 (17:25):
Appropriate for them to be in an aged care facility
if there was beds available, then for them to be
at the hospital, you know where it'd be so bloody
tough to have your family member in there because there's
nowhere else for them to go.

Speaker 8 (17:38):
Yeah, Katie talking to Terra Toorins this week. The one
thing that comes up is that you know, when you
live somewhere, you need to know that when you're unwell
or you have an accident, you have somewhere to go
and that you're really well looked after. And for many years,
we've had a lot of problems in our hospitals and
in our healthcare system. Over the last few years, we've
seen you know, an IT rollout which has failed. We've

(18:00):
seen huge increase in alcohol related presentations to our hospital.
You know, the age care facility I think has been
promised I don't know how many times by the Labor government,
and what we're seeing though is that they're not able
to deliver on these things. And yeah, but also like
every time they make an announcement, we're expecting something to

(18:21):
happen and it just doesn't happen. And territories are like,
you know what, we just don't believe Labor anymore because
we haven't seen any better outcomes.

Speaker 2 (18:28):
Well, look, I think it's a you know it's a
fair point to make.

Speaker 1 (18:30):
I guess the situation here is we do need additional beats,
and there is no doubt that we need those argecare beats.

Speaker 6 (18:36):
Right, correct.

Speaker 5 (18:37):
But if the government, I think you read that the
antigument Labor Guverment's going to allocate ten minutes two to
the hilox and that's fine, but where are they at
with discussions with the common Well, good question to get
the money.

Speaker 6 (18:48):
Because age care is a common responsibility.

Speaker 1 (18:50):
So I spoke to Selena Rubo about that yesterday and
certainly asked.

Speaker 6 (18:53):
I'm talking twenty forty million to build a complex?

Speaker 2 (18:55):
Yeah, how many years away?

Speaker 6 (18:57):
That's right?

Speaker 2 (18:58):
Yeah, they're the big question, like they are the big President.

Speaker 7 (19:01):
Is impacting those crowd yellows. So it's important to have
it done quickly. But we know any infrastructure takes time.
It's not just going to be done with and they
need immediate fixation.

Speaker 1 (19:08):
And I will say that this is not a new issue.
You know, this is something that I've been speaking to
doctor Robert Parker ahead of the AMA about four literally years.
He's been saying, you know, we have got at different
times those numbers of age care patients in Royal Darwin Hospital.
It's sort of ebbed and flowed, but it's been an
issue for quite some time.

Speaker 5 (19:26):
And also what's happening, Katie. I've had one recently and
I've had them in the past. YELP, friends or family
of people in hospital who are older. People been pressured
to leave the hospital.

Speaker 6 (19:37):
Oh yeah, you're okay, you'll be right, you can go
home with your family. And that just recently.

Speaker 5 (19:42):
And one the question was put to the nurse when
you know this person had to go to get some tests,
Are you just want my bid? Yes, we do need
your bed, you know. So there's pressure on patience quite
dying to leave hospital to go to their home or wherever.
And it's putting pressure on the families. And I mean,
the person may well be okay physically to go home,
but you're just not sure that they're going to cope
in that home environment. They probably need to be in

(20:04):
a hospital environment, but they're desperate, and it's putting pressure
on the hospital staff to fign fine beds.

Speaker 3 (20:10):
Yeah. Look, and age care has become an increasing issue
in the territory. Obviously, we're an aging population here in
the territory, which for a long time we weren't. I
won't have to mention too far that about the palms
in hospital to the CLP to realize what who delivers
on health. But anyway, we can talk about that hole
in the grand there if we like. But we will

(20:32):
build an age care And the problem is, having come
from engineering and construction backgrounds, these things do take time.
They don't the actual concept plans drawn up, the actual
plan of service gets drawn up. Then you start thinking
about the plan for the building, and then you're obviously
at the same time and parallel you're trying to access

(20:54):
the phone.

Speaker 2 (20:56):
Why are we training so long?

Speaker 3 (20:57):
Well, they're expensive, They're very expensive piece of the care.
And at the end.

Speaker 9 (21:01):
Of the day, I think it's unfair that it's unfair
an idea what we're doing is we've just announced it,
but that doesn't mean that it hasn't been thought about
and been put up as a proposition the past.

Speaker 3 (21:17):
It has and will continue. We will continue to look
at what's needed in the health because I don't know
if I think you've heard me say quite often Georgie
in media, it's really about the most disadvantaged people in
our community and poverty and age care. As some of
the most disadvantaged and the way the way you fix
disadvantage is quality health and quality education. So they are

(21:40):
the two key components they will always be advocating for.
Whilst I don't have the health profound, I won't keep
going on that we are here and we are spending
lots of money on health, and I look and I
want to talk up the health because I was in
there the other day at Royal Darwin Hospital. They are
amazing people. They're amazing operators and they've got.

Speaker 2 (22:00):
But they need a lot more help than what they're training.

Speaker 7 (22:02):
I have friends and are nurses and they're doing double
but indangerous Parson Hospital. Quite often it's an easy shift
because everyone's sent down to Royal Darwin because the capabilities
for Edie Palmerston aren't up to scratch. Therefore everyone's being
sensored to DAL and overflowing it.

Speaker 3 (22:20):
That but also in saying that, I've also been treated
at Palmston Hospital when I unfortunately had a little accident
at a Dundee beach on a boat one day, and
it was it was amazing and I never would have
got that quality service if Labor had invested and built that. Well. Look,
so it's about going forward and ensuring for a particular
sector in a community and the age care, which is

(22:42):
a growing sector here in the territory, because it's also
part of keeping our families here. When I first came
here over thirty years ago, you could ask every person,
they said, oh, we came here two years ago or
five years ago whatever. We are getting more people saying
I was born here and I'm growing up here and
I'm working here, and so you're getting families staying here,
and you're getting older people.

Speaker 2 (23:02):
And you've got to make sure the facilities for the week.
Absolutely that need to make sure that.

Speaker 8 (23:07):
This part of normal governance. I mean, we need this
money to be invested in health and it needs to
be invested over a number of years. But when we
pour the money into a bucket which has holes in it,
it just leaks out the bottom. And we have a
system in our hospitals that is broken. Is that we
spend ten million dollars a year Kadi on security at
our hospitals. I mean the fact that people don't feel
safe when they go to work there and the patients

(23:28):
don't feel safe. I mean that is so telling that
we have to spend all that massive show system, we
start to focus on some of those areas where people
can feel safe to go to hospital and work at hospital. Well,
look at it's going to go a long way, and
this labor government just hasn't wanted to have that conversation.

Speaker 7 (23:42):
You always, you quite often have young nurses who are
moving for experience and to get that experience before they
go back down South. But when you've got young twenty
two year olds being spat on or abused and have
to have two security guards to handle a person that's
drunk or you know, whatever other health condition they might have,
that's only it doesn't make you want.

Speaker 8 (24:00):
To go to war.

Speaker 2 (24:01):
No, that's exactly right. It is something. It's something we've
spoken about quite a beash on the show.

Speaker 1 (24:06):
We have had nurses get in contact with us and
also partners of nurses that are really quite concerned about
their safety at different times when very dangerous situations have unfolded.
But I want to move along because it wasn't the
only announcement that was made. Of course, this week, we
know that if elected, the Northern Territory Opposition is promising
more prisons, expanded sentencing options and stronger penalties for people

(24:28):
convicted of crimes. So two new purpose built women's prisons
in Alice Springs and Darwin ten million for new adult
prison work camps.

Speaker 2 (24:36):
Amongst other things.

Speaker 1 (24:37):
One of those things the creation of a standalone corrections
agency which would include youth justice.

Speaker 2 (24:45):
So I know, I'm.

Speaker 1 (24:46):
Pretty sure the Chief Minister's been out and said it's
nothing new, nothing new to this announcement, but it is.

Speaker 2 (24:53):
Some of it is like what the community is wanting
to hear.

Speaker 8 (24:55):
I spose, Well, the new bit's.

Speaker 3 (24:57):
The fact that they're going to build two brand new
purpose facilities for detention. No, I don't know where they're
getting the money for that, I honestly don't. It's when
you add all their little promises up and they took
they talked about last month about raising the higher Stuart
Highway all the way down to make it flood proof. Well,
there's about four billion dollars. There's a probably a billion

(25:17):
comwell for those it is, but it's still four billion
bucks and we still have to come up with twenty
percent of it.

Speaker 2 (25:23):
Is that money coming from.

Speaker 3 (25:26):
There's a magic bucket somewhere that she hasn't told us about.

Speaker 8 (25:29):
We know in the territory that community safety is the
number one issue, and well your question not make any
apologies for spending the money to be able to build
more facilities which can detain people who are doing the
wrong thing.

Speaker 3 (25:42):
Where's it coming from?

Speaker 8 (25:42):
If that means bringing them into detention facilities, then that's
exactly what we need to do.

Speaker 7 (25:48):
Is coming we talk about where money's coming from. We've
just topped up the health budget by three hundred million dollars.

Speaker 2 (25:52):
Where's that money?

Speaker 3 (25:54):
Question in debt and so we're probably going into some
of my portfolios. That's where the money is coming from from.
From the gas coming on shore, it's on shore on
our national sent.

Speaker 2 (26:04):
It's coming from treasury.

Speaker 3 (26:06):
Well, Treasury obviously distribute it, but it's coming from from
what we're doing in the the the mining, with what
we're doing in the gas area, what we're doing in
the agguabusiness, it's coming from there. I've said, I openly
say to all of those industries they are so important
to the territory. Why because they'll be paying for a help.

Speaker 1 (26:25):
Absolutely, absolutely, I guess that's an issue. I suppose the
problem you guys have got at the moment, though, Mark,
is that that that is the case, and that is
great to hear that that money. You know that we
are going to have our own source revenue and that
we're going to be, you know, bringing some money in
for ourselves through industry. But we've really had a lot
of years where we've languished really very bad, and we've

(26:46):
been going a couple of years, that's right, and we've
been going cap in hand to the federal government sort
of asking for money. So I totally agree with what
you're saying. You know, the COLP does need to outline
where money is coming from and where you're making big promises.

Speaker 2 (26:58):
You've got to be able to.

Speaker 8 (26:59):
Out those numbers, go to Treasury well before the election
and it all gets shown in a big document. Both
Labor and the CLP need to do that, and so
that's going to become very clear. But what is the
most important thing for territorians is to feel safe, and
we just don't feel that right now. If we want
to open up the territory for tourists to come, to
open up new businesses, for new investment, then and for

(27:21):
it to be a place where we can afford our
beautiful schools, we can afford those staff that at the
hospitals that help when you're Unwell, we need to make
the place safe. So we make no apologies.

Speaker 1 (27:31):
For building or say to those that say jailing is
failing or that evidence shows that, you know, the CLP's
approach to tough on crime is not going to work.

Speaker 5 (27:40):
Well, if they've committed a crime that attracts a jail
jail time.

Speaker 6 (27:46):
Well they've got to go to jail. That's the law
of our land.

Speaker 2 (27:48):
That's all the most people would see. You know.

Speaker 5 (27:51):
Okay, if the judge or the legislation allows the person
to be put on a good behavior bond or to
do community.

Speaker 6 (27:56):
Service, well so bit.

Speaker 5 (27:58):
But you go to jail one to punish for punishment
for doing the wrong thing, and too with a little
bit of hope and some funding and resources, rehabilitate yourself
either physically or in the brain such you don't commit
the same offense again. And that's the tricky bit, because
there's not enough resources allocated to programs in our jails currently.

Speaker 8 (28:16):
Yeah, exactly, And Katie ye, our plan is a plan
of action, like it is literally going to be for
delivering real consequences and a pathway out of crime. I mean,
there's seventy five percent of people who are in prison
today that have actually been in prison before, and so
we need to deal with those repeat offenders. And Kissy
is right. That is why our plan has the correctional

(28:37):
part of rehabilitation. So you go somewhere and you learn
new skills, you do rehab. If there's alcoholic drugs problems,
you literally can change your life to a life beyond crime.
And so that we can they can contribute back to
the community and we can have a safe community.

Speaker 1 (28:51):
How exactly is going to implement the compulsory community service
for youth offenders, because again I think it sounds like
a good thing, but I don't know how you Yeah,
how do you make it complacause it seems like there's
been such a a struggle to kind of hold some
youth offenders to account.

Speaker 2 (29:06):
Why do you reckon that is? And how do you
make it? And that is compulsory?

Speaker 8 (29:10):
Youth justice laws have been watered down over many years,
so that I mean even raising the age of criminal responsibility.
That means that those children who commit crimes, they don't
get to be before a judge to be able to
be sentenced to something like sentence to a skill where
they can actually learn how to learn how to live
in the community, but I can also learn a skill
so that they can have that life beyond crime. So

(29:31):
laws will absolutely have to be changed, but that is
why we're committed to doing that. We've got several pieces
of legislation that on day one of Parliament after the elections,
should we win, that we will bring forward and ensure
that that is the urgent priority.

Speaker 2 (29:43):
Well, look, who's going to staff it? That's another question.

Speaker 7 (29:45):
Obviously, all of these things are great in theory if
kids are rehabilitated, if they do have these different pathways
and avenues, they can go down. But if there's no
one there to staff it and make sure it is compulsory,
then kids aren't just going aren't going to do it?

Speaker 8 (29:59):
Well, that's right, Georgie, and that's why we need to
do so many things all at once. I mean, unlike labor,
we can actually do more than one thing. And we
have to get our economy going. I mean, we have
to make it a place which is attractive for staff
to come here. And then you know, when we are elected,
we'll get under the hood and we'll start looking at
all those resources, who's doing what, and be able to
see where those gaps are and be able to fill them.

(30:20):
I mean, right now, we know that labor has left
us in a huge mess and that someone is going
to have to clean it up, and that is why
we're fighting so hard on this.

Speaker 7 (30:28):
Well I found interesting, sorry, Katie, just in your plan
it's only a commitment of fifteen million dollars. I found
it interesting that you're not committing specific numbers to certain things,
to say we need x amount if we are to
build these two new women's prisons. We don't even know
how many beds or how much that's even going to cost.
It's going to be the hundreds of millions of dollars,
and then all these other programs are going to be
millions of dollars. So you know, you're looking at a

(30:50):
couple one hundred million dollars for that plan itself, but
there's no set fee on how much all these things
are going to cost.

Speaker 8 (30:56):
A couple one hundred million dollars. I mean, a women's
prison is a smaller for I think there's eighty women
prisoners right now at home.

Speaker 2 (31:03):
It's still.

Speaker 3 (31:05):
The age.

Speaker 10 (31:07):
Let's equate that that doesn't require there, So let's not
be let's not be actually just throwing these motherhood statements
at this will be a substantial financial commitment from the territory.

Speaker 3 (31:21):
If you think you're going to do that, I think
and I think it is I think one way right well,
I think one of the most important things that we
need to the price we need to pay the society
is actually to look at these these core things that
make a difference. And at the end of the day,
I think I've got a stat the other day that's
sixty five percent of our jails either got people in
there for alcoholism or dv That is an absolute scourge

(31:43):
and as.

Speaker 6 (31:44):
Closer to that nineteen.

Speaker 3 (31:47):
Anyway whatever, that figure is an absolutely disgraceful and it
can be and it's addressed right back at the start
at school when it.

Speaker 2 (31:56):
Gets generational change.

Speaker 3 (31:58):
Generation and we can't keep ignoring it by trying to
do the quick fixes that cost lots and lots of money.
Because at the end of the day, parents engaged with
their family. You and I all grew up in different
worlds with parents who looked after them, who were caring
about their education, who came along, who read to us
and books. If you don't do the hard work as

(32:19):
a society, you end up with a problem.

Speaker 6 (32:22):
It's not going to happen in the start.

Speaker 3 (32:24):
Well, one of the things we need to have keys
I know you said it's not going to have, is hope.
If we don't have hope, do you know what, none
of us here anymore and leave in our kids and
talk our kids up, we get You know what.

Speaker 1 (32:41):
Ships me at the moment, and I'm going to say it,
it's the thing that ships me badly at the moment
is we are spending an absolute bucket load on kids
that are breaking the law, that are doing the wrong thing.
There is so many good kids in this town, there
is so many good kids in all the territory job
but they are bloody frightened that they're to get flogged
in the street because they feel like there's not consequences

(33:03):
to kids that are doing the wrong thing.

Speaker 2 (33:05):
And that is where we've got the problem at the moment.

Speaker 1 (33:08):
Doesn't matter where you come from, doesn't matter what community,
and doesn't matter. And we have to actually make sure
that no matter what, if you are doing something that's
that's breaking the law, that's incredibly bad, there has to
be consequences for those actions. And you've got to teach
the good the bad, all the kids that that's the case. Otherwise,

(33:29):
what hope is there for the good kids that are
doing the right thing, that are really frightened are moving,
they're leaving town.

Speaker 3 (33:37):
The worst thing we can do for a society is
take a child who's in year four and throw them
into a prison.

Speaker 2 (33:43):
No one suggesting that we do. And that's where.

Speaker 3 (33:49):
Exactly it's a bad.

Speaker 2 (33:52):
Support.

Speaker 3 (33:53):
So these residential youth facilities are alternative to those models.
They're models where you get the services from Territory found.

Speaker 2 (34:01):
Education saying that there's other.

Speaker 1 (34:05):
Cross while all of these promises are being made, right,
So if all these promises being made gos, I just want.

Speaker 5 (34:10):
To comment on the CLP where they're talking about building
the women's prison. I don't know the other Spring situation,
but I'm sure it's the same as Darwin. The women's
section is in the middle of a male jail and
it's got to do the line, know, which is not
a lot about jails and jail design.

Speaker 6 (34:24):
That is not a good design layout.

Speaker 5 (34:26):
So the fame that they're going to take the women out,
the fact they want to build them a new jail
for women prisoners, I don't have an issue with that.
Another of the community, but the other thing is people
are fed up in my community, my lectorate, and of
this wrap around services bullshit.

Speaker 6 (34:40):
No one is No one is buying that. What does
that mean? It's just those those groovy walls.

Speaker 3 (34:45):
What parents did for you and I.

Speaker 1 (34:53):
We're talking about these different promises that are being made.
We the NT News this morning reporting a shocking image
of a man with an arrow lodged in his abdomen
has emerged in the wake of violence in the Northern
Territory community of Daily River. Now we know that the
Northern Territory Assistant Commissioner Janelle Tonkin said that the Territory
Response Group and the Territory Safety Division we're on the

(35:14):
way to Daily River to respond to recent unrest in
the town. Now, I'm sure everybody has seen the reporting,
but we've literally got a situation where women and children
are saying that they are sleeping rough in Adelaide River
with nowhere to go after rioters have set fire to houses.
So we've got a situation now where you do have

(35:36):
you know, you've got good families who are bloody scared
in these communities because you've got groups that have no
regard for the law whatsoever, hesitant to name them because
you don't want to give them that notoriety. But this
is the kind of thing that we're talking about. It
doesn't matter what community you live in, it doesn't matter
where you come from. There's so many good families in

(35:58):
this place. There's so many wonderful people in this place.
But then you've got others that have no regard some
of those good people for those women and children. So
you've now got this situation where there's women and children
sleeping rough in Adelaide River with nowhere to go. Because
you know, a Daily River local telling who didn't want
to be named, telling the paper that about forty people

(36:19):
had evacuated the community since an armed gang I'm not
going to name them descended on the town. They said,
we can't stay in Adelaide River. We've got nowhere to go,
and we're not getting any support from anyone.

Speaker 2 (36:29):
At the moment. We've got women and kids sleeping on tarps.

Speaker 8 (36:33):
And that is why I need these changes, Katie, because
we cannot have people that get away with this. My
understanding is that the police know who these families are
that have these challenges. They also know the perpetrators. It
doesn't matter how old they are. If they are causing
that kind of harm and upheaval in a whole community,
it needs to be dealt with. There needs to be

(36:54):
real consequences, and that's why the bootcamps which Labor promised
eight years ago and haven't been able to lie, need
to be delivered. And that's why the Seal PECE so
focused on that. I mean, that's why we're so focused
on sentence to a skill. If you're a young person
who's looking to get into the workforce, you need that opportunity.
So while you are serving out your time which meets
community expectations, you're learning a skill so that when you

(37:16):
do exit that facility or that boot camp, then you
actually can go and contribute to society instead of these
horrific crimes that we continue to talk about, and Labor
continue to pretend like it's not happening and that we
all have to wait for generational change.

Speaker 7 (37:31):
I think as well on that generational change is one thing,
but people, as you said, need a quick fix because.

Speaker 2 (37:37):
They can't keep being scared.

Speaker 7 (37:39):
Shop owners can't keep being broken into, abused, assaulted like
we see with John John's, you know, horrific incidents outside
we see horrific assaults all of the time, and horrific
rates of domestic violence. People don't want to wait for
generational change for domestic violence. They want to know that
they're going to be safe now before they're abused again.

Speaker 1 (37:56):
But I also look at this situation even at the
daily the daily River region, and you go, you've got
a situation now where women and children are sleeping rough
in Adelaide River on tarps, presumably not able to go
to school.

Speaker 2 (38:09):
Those kids or not attending school.

Speaker 1 (38:10):
Then, so they're stepping away the likelihood of them potentially
becoming at risk because they're not at their home, they're
not in their safe place.

Speaker 2 (38:18):
You don't know what's going to happen.

Speaker 1 (38:19):
But if the issue is sorted from the get go
in terms of the stopping of that crime so that
they are not feeling like they can't stay in their
community and they're not feeling like they have to flee,
the on flow of a child they're not going to
school or not being able to get educated is massive, right.
So the whole point here is that people are concerned

(38:40):
about across the Northern Territory. Doesn't matter whether you're living
in a remote community or in an urban setting is
they want the crime and the public safety to be sorted.

Speaker 2 (38:50):
Katie.

Speaker 5 (38:51):
When there was a huge upheaval in Alice Springs, it
got to obviously a crisis point and the government made
the decision to have a curfew. I would say this community,
this is more than once. This community what I am
flying into daily River and around Peppi and Emu that
there should I can't say you can have a curfew
because that's it's a different situation. But there's a crisis

(39:12):
point now operating out there. Families are fleeing and living
on taps.

Speaker 6 (39:15):
Adelaide River.

Speaker 5 (39:16):
Camping grounds and showgrounds have been used before to rehabilitate
and have people there staying emergency situations. The government should
be acting pronto to get this sorted. And if that
means going in and arresting a whole cohort of people,
you know it will all so be it and putting
them somewhere such that they are they can't continue the
fact that that fellow's got an arrow through his abdomen.

(39:36):
That's a stolen arrow, you know, that's been stolen from
that shop that somewhere, those businesses on the studio, Mitchell's
or wherever, and that has happened time and time again.
Those businesses have been broken into and still in crossbows
and compound bows which are more dangerous, and knives, et cetera.

Speaker 6 (39:51):
And it's always that community. The stolen cars and darwin
always end up at that community.

Speaker 5 (39:55):
So why isn't the government through the police when the
police can do what they do, but the government should be.

Speaker 6 (40:01):
Directing just round them up and just sort it out.

Speaker 7 (40:04):
There's been understanding you think that there would be a
lot more to people there that get committing those offenses.

Speaker 3 (40:12):
So that's my understanding that the police are down there
at the moment. It is completely not acceptable because it's
as I said, there might be families who are in
disagreements and having blues and committing crime and doing against
each other and completely off the trolley as far as
what we would accept as acceptable behavior. But there's also
a lot of other people living there around them.

Speaker 2 (40:32):
Yeah, they're not the victims.

Speaker 3 (40:34):
They're victims of it. So so we get the first
the first pro and I understand they and then they've
made a rest, and they'll continue to make a rest
when they if they find other people who have broken
the law, and so they should and so those people
should be locked up for a long time depending.

Speaker 2 (40:47):
On what they get. The revolving door of the bail out.

Speaker 6 (40:51):
They go in, they go out, they go.

Speaker 1 (40:53):
Well, look, let's take a very quick break. Well, you
are listening to Mix one O four point ninety is
the week that was. There's been so much happened this week,
but I tell you was. I think the story that
made everybody smile this week was when the million dollar
fish finally got came. Was so good and a die
hard top end fishes late night Barrow, Monday Hall, Well

(41:16):
it landed him not only a feed, but a million bucks.
And and how wonderful Keegan Payne, this nineteen year old
from Catherine.

Speaker 2 (41:25):
He was such a lovely young bloke as well.

Speaker 1 (41:27):
When we spoke to him, he'd said on the on
the line on whatever day it was, it feels like
it was a week ago now, but he'd said on
the line that half of it his dad was going
to manage for him. He's he was looking at a
new boach and also possibly a car.

Speaker 2 (41:41):
So it was good good news story. Fish. He's kept
it with him.

Speaker 5 (41:46):
Fish, wouldn't He's going to be undersplapped the music if somebody.

Speaker 2 (41:54):
Had suggested that it go to the cat is there
a Catherine Museum.

Speaker 1 (41:57):
That it go to the Cafe museum rather than the
one up here in Darwin.

Speaker 5 (42:01):
But good good on him his family, you know, and
good that it was a territory.

Speaker 6 (42:05):
Notarily. I mean, I wouldn't have an issue someone for
me to state.

Speaker 5 (42:07):
But at least it's an incentive now because the people
are getting a bit jaded, you know, I really actually
there's a million dollar fish out there?

Speaker 3 (42:15):
But great was it that his sister he actually saw
the tag.

Speaker 6 (42:19):
He was too busy just catching the fish.

Speaker 5 (42:21):
But I think one thing that has to get sort
of because what happened last week or before a family
out in the rule there they did catch a fish
with a tag in it, but it was from last year.
So the government needs to be clear and perhaps publicized,
what are the rules if you catch a fish from
the previous years?

Speaker 3 (42:38):
So I don't catch fish SEP's.

Speaker 2 (42:42):
Changed million dollars?

Speaker 6 (42:44):
No, I will see.

Speaker 5 (42:45):
And the other thing is someone tells me they're electronically
monitored or whatever digitally. I don't know, but I think
we need to get that clarified in the in the
what do you call it? The computer when you're register
and the rules, does it qualify or doesn't it?

Speaker 7 (42:57):
Because a lot of them got changed that were tagged
from previous is to the ten thousand dollars times, but
I wasn't sure how many actually a million dollars.

Speaker 6 (43:04):
Well then that tag should have got ten thousand there.

Speaker 7 (43:06):
Because they said that there was about eighty or ninety No, no,
of course one hundred and ten thousand dollar fish.

Speaker 1 (43:10):
We're still out so not all of them, but some
of them might think, and yeah, you're right, that's where
the computer needs to be clarified.

Speaker 3 (43:15):
I think there's one young bloke in the territory that's
very happy with the rules.

Speaker 8 (43:21):
It is really excited kating and you know nine Seasons
on of course, and it was the seal Pe that
brought that initiative in. And I have to say that
because fish it's all about fishing is such a big territory.

Speaker 2 (43:37):
But you know, I Justatie nine.

Speaker 6 (43:39):
I know who came up with the concept, and it
wasn't a politician.

Speaker 8 (43:44):
I love about this is that not all ideas come
from politicians. The territori ands that we take on board
their ideas well.

Speaker 5 (43:50):
So I'm putting it out there. I don't know how
you tag them, but you've got to do what people
are saying. Million dollar pig.

Speaker 6 (43:57):
We have not been so No, he wants a million
dollar peak hunting.

Speaker 3 (44:03):
It was a million dollar clump of gamble game.

Speaker 1 (44:08):
They could do something to this peak hunt. Yeah, there
could be something to this peak hunt. So it's worth
having a look at.

Speaker 2 (44:14):
Look.

Speaker 1 (44:14):
One of the other things I'm keen to discuss just
very quickly is this new hotel planned for the Darwin Waterfront.
It's reached a key milestone with a development agreement signed.
CEL Australia is going to be developing and operating the
Convention Center Hotel, which is going to boast two hundred and.

Speaker 2 (44:31):
Thirty six rooms for corporate and leisure.

Speaker 6 (44:34):
Yes, great idea.

Speaker 5 (44:35):
Welcome to Singapore is I think it's I've got some
suggestions for names of this.

Speaker 2 (44:38):
Hotel the Kesiopuric in Memoria, No, no, did yet.

Speaker 5 (44:43):
I think it should be called the Litchfield Hotel in
memory of the Lichfield family who were pioneers in the
Northern Territory. Yeah, or it could be the Holt's Hotel.
Again again, that's a pioneering family. Morris Holt was part
of that family. Was the first curate of the Dangle Garden, So.

Speaker 6 (45:00):
I think, you know, Lichfield a Holes should be seriously concerned.
And I might even write to the Chinese.

Speaker 5 (45:08):
I'm not sure he's the Singaporean fellow to put these
suggestions to him.

Speaker 3 (45:12):
This is why the Keasiers electrical missing, because she's always
finding an angle to try and support them. This is
what makes us such a good local member. So it's
been noted.

Speaker 6 (45:28):
Mitcheler Holt's hotel. People listening a text into Katie which
you plus.

Speaker 2 (45:32):
What you'd like, that's what you'd like.

Speaker 1 (45:34):
Look, we'll take a very quick break before we wrap
up for this morning. You are listening to the week
that was well, that is just about it for us
this morning. We've well, we've had an interesting, great morning, Mark.

Speaker 2 (45:46):
How have you found it?

Speaker 1 (45:47):
Mate?

Speaker 2 (45:47):
For your first time on the show, you know.

Speaker 11 (45:51):
You know it's I was going to say the things
should have been fairly well under control when you have
two former speakers in the room. But I'm going to
have to go back to Hailey and get debrief s
extension about this whole this whole.

Speaker 12 (46:06):
Gay It is interesting, isn't it. It's always an interesting discussion.
There is no doubt about that well. Mark Monahan, thank
you so much for your time this morning. Thanks for
joining us. Georgie Dickerson, thank you so much for your
time today. Cheesy appurreic, thank you for your time now.

Speaker 5 (46:23):
For all those people who want to do a run
out of town. The Marrachai Market startup on Sunday morning
at the Crobbery Pump the Tablish and it's nice and
I can tell people listening the best chilies are grown
in the Maracai region and there's there's usually chili sauces
and chili plants on some.

Speaker 6 (46:39):
They do have. There's a gentleman out there and he's white.
They have the best chilies, so many varieties.

Speaker 2 (46:43):
How good.

Speaker 1 (46:44):
I like coming out your way and getting like a
big tub of honey.

Speaker 6 (46:47):
Oh yeah, honey. Then you'd be sort of Andrew Chug
might have honey there.

Speaker 3 (46:51):
Whilst we're having free ads five hundred and forty seven
masters swimmers in town at this week and cheer them on.

Speaker 2 (46:58):
They take some records.

Speaker 1 (47:02):
We should have told you that, Mark, you do get
a free plug at the end of your yep, but
just not nothing written and authorized by the ALP clear.

Speaker 8 (47:11):
Thank you, Thank you, Katie and I just want to
remind everyone of these Greek Easter this weekend, so there's
going to be a lot of activity.

Speaker 6 (47:17):
But remember that's blowing up of things.

Speaker 8 (47:19):
I was going to say for anyone who's in town
that is not used to it and been here for
Greek East, I think it's about midnight. There's a lot
of explosive noises. You don't have to fear. It's all
under control. It's the Greek Easter celebration.

Speaker 1 (47:31):
He's awesome, wonderful stuff, the things out there that have
a wonderful weekend.

Speaker 2 (47:35):
Thank you all so much for your time this morning.