Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Joining me on the line right now is the opposition
leader Selena Rubo.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Good morning to you.
Speaker 3 (00:06):
Good morning Katy, and good morning to you listeners.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Great to have you on the show now.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Selena, just first off, disturbing news of course from overnight
with this person shot in Coconut Grove. They had to
be arrested. They were actually arrested in Catherine in your
neck of the woods. What is your reaction to this occurring.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
Yeah, Katie, I think I'm just as shocked as you
know other fellow community members hearing about this incident. You know,
people are hoping it's a once off, but from talking
to community members about concerns around crime and becoming more serious,
more violent and more prevalent, I think unfortunately we're starting
to see that in the territory now.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
It's a worry. There is no other way to put it.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
I mean, the fact that somebody has been shot in
the Northern suburbs and we'll find out some further detail
from the Northern Territory Police. I mean, at this point
in time, we don't have a huge amount of background,
but no doubt that a lord of Territorians hearing this
for the first time now are going to be utterly
shocked to hear that this has happened.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
Yeah, I agree, Katie, and I think we're going to
be asking some serious questions around what the government's doing
to continue on what they said they would do, which
is to keep territory and safe. So we're going to
have some very serious questions to them.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Now, just on that. We do know that we have got.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
Absolute record numbers in terms of our jails being full
at the moment. We've spoken quite a bit about this
over the last couple of weeks, and we know that
there is fifty percent of our prisoners are on remand
with those record high prisoner numbers, what do you think
needs to be done to try and push cases through
the courts more quickly.
Speaker 3 (01:47):
Yeah, I guess there's some very interesting takes on this.
I haven't heard other than what the new Theopic government's
put down on paper around what their plan is. I
haven't heard of any real traction that's being made in
a space around particularly what you're talking about, Katie, seeing
the justice system flow through a bit smoother. So I'll
(02:07):
be very interested to see what the new government's plans
are around the justice peace. They've talked about the punitive piece.
We know that, and that's where the numbers are becoming higher.
But what's happening to help the system actually flow. I
don't see any plan around that. Well.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
I know that they announced additional judges to step into
those roles to try to get things moving a little
bit more quickly.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Over the Christmas break.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
There was a there was less of a break I
guess through the court system. But oppositionly, is it time
do you think for us to maybe look at building
a remand center.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
I mean that would cost a lot of money as well, Katie.
So I'll be very interested to see what way the
government decides to choose to progress this or not progress
this issue. We know that some of the comments that
have been made have been around again the quick fix,
not the long term, and I've yet to hear anything
about the long term from the COLP government.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Look in terms of in terms of you know, money
being invested, money being spent. One area of concern which
you have been raising for quite some time is the
area of domestic violence. Certainly you'd like to see some
of that money will really you know, get out there
and to try to make some change in this space.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
What exactly are you.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
Concerns as we get into the new year and with
Parliament set to begin.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
Next week, Katie, the COLP government promised to start getting
that one hundred and eighty million dollars of funding for
the domestic violence prevention sector out the door by the
end of January. Obviously we're now at the start of February,
so they have broken their promise in that respect. We
see some of the most shocking crimes in the Northern
(03:54):
Territory which are domestic violence related, and we can't continue
to urgently request and urgently encourage the government to roll
out that one hundred and eighty million dollars to the experts,
the DV sector, experts in our community, so we can
see territories protected and that we can see domestic violence
(04:15):
prevention in the Northern Territory. The CLP said they would
do this, but yet to do it. They said they're
going to be a government of action, and we are
seeing lack of action. This is an area that's also
going to reduce crime. And we just do not understand, Katie,
why the CLP government is not rolling out that critical
funding to the DV sector.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
And so is this going to be a big point
of focus for the opposition as Parliament resumes next week
and as we get into twenty twenty five.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
Absolutely, Katie, I think we can't. I think we can't
stop focusing and highlighting the issue of domestic and family
violence across the Northern Territory. We had a bipartisan agreement
at the end of last year which was led by
our Labor opposition, so we can go above politics in
this particular area, which we know affect every part of
(05:05):
our community across the Norman Territory and the lack of
action is extremely frustrating, but it's also quite dangerous, Katie,
because I do believe we'll see more lives lost to
domestic violence in the Norman Territory unless we see more
investment in our prevention measures, and that's what I'm most
concerned about on behalf of territoriums.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Yeah, we've really got to see some change in this
space right across the board. And I'll be blunt about it.
I actually think it's a failure from the federal government,
from the local government. Over years and years, this issue
has really deteriorated to the point that it is right now,
and the way in which Territorians are seeing the impacts
and feeling the impacts. I believe it the worst in
(05:48):
the nation. So there is no doubt that there needs
to be some really serious and urgent work in this space.
Opposition leader, I want to ask you.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
We know that the Treasurer Bill.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
Is going to be out today on his budget road show.
Now he's issued a statement this morning saying that there
is an enormous mess that's been left behind by the
former Labor government. He said there was a failure to
allocate any operational funding to pet projects like the Darwin
Art Gallery estimated to be at least six million dollars
(06:22):
a year, as well as the Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander Art Gallery of Australia project estimated to be an
excess of ten million dollars a year. He reckons there's
a massive budget blowout on those pet projects, with the
Darwin Art Gallery blowing out from seventy million dollars to
one hundred and forty three million, while the Aboriginal Torres
(06:46):
Strait Islander Art Gallery was first announced at one hundred
and fifty million and that's blown out to three hundred
million dollars before the colp well before they say they
rained in the budget and ragined at back into its
original allocation. I mean, how on earth were these things
not budgeted.
Speaker 3 (07:06):
For, Katie. The Treasurer's press release today has shown that
there's actually no substance of any economic vision or plan
that the CLP said they would rebuild the territory's economy.
They have nothing in that press release today, and I'll
be very interested to hear how the Treasurer's road show
goes and what's the vision of the government to really
(07:28):
rebuild the territory's economy, because that, oh, it's a bunch
of words. It's no vision, it's no plan that shows
that the CLP is going to support the territory and
our economic rebuilding.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
So it sounds like it sounds like the plan is
to try and rain in the spending and to actually
get to the bottom of the finances, which they're claiming
that the former Labor government which you were part of,
really didn't take as seriously as you should have.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
Katie. I know you mentioned the Alice Springs are Gallery,
the national average on total and the art gallery. The
COLP has been saying it's a waste of money and
that they've rained in that project and they've made changes
to it. This is a project that was projected to
bring in fifty three thousand tourists to the territory economy
every year, so territory jobs, territory businesses are going to
(08:19):
benefit from that as well as the territory economy, and
now they've reduced that project dramatically. I was in Alice
Springs just last month and there are a lot of
unhappy businesses, people who planned and made years of business
planning around this project to capitalize on the economy that
it would bring into Central Australia specifically, but also the
(08:40):
territory to benefit. And I think the Treasurer is already
out of touch because a lot of people in Alice
Springs are extremely disappointed that the Colp government has made
this decision without any community consultation and the lack of
understanding of what a iconic national project in the territory
would bring to a territory economy is just outstanding. I
(09:03):
can't understand how they are not connecting the dots and
that particular project.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
Katie oppositionally do I know that there will be some
out there listening this morning though, saying how can you
make promises that you can't actually afford.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
Well, Katie, when we talk about rebuilding the territory's economy,
you have to have investment in growth. So far, the
Silpic government, in their four months of governing, have not
shown how they're going to commit to investing in the
growth of the territory. They've talked about things that they'll
do that will rain in the budget and I understand that,
(09:39):
but they haven't talked about how they're going to grow
the economy.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
But is that what the territory is the role of them?
Speaker 1 (09:45):
I mean, I would argue that that's they would say
that that's what the role of the Territory coordinator and
trying to bring in, you know, projects that actually aren't
funded by the Northern Territory government, but trying to get
private investment into the Norse Than territory.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
Katie, the government is a government for the whole of
the territory. It shouldn't rely on one position of a
position and a role that doesn't exist yet to do
that for the territory economy. That will assist, but the
planning and the vision of the Government of the day
also needs to take responsibility rather than fobbing it off.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
To a but just so I've got this straight, I
guess for territorians, just so I've got this straight.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
But so you.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
Would argue that the reality is that the government should
actually use taxpayers dollars to get things moving and build
projects like the art gallery, rather than try to push
for that private investment and try to make that as
as co you know, like as sort of as easy
is not the right word, but I guess you knows
as easy as possible to happen.
Speaker 3 (10:46):
In the end, Katie, A government can do more than
one thing. You don't have to choose one thing over
the other. Yes, you have decisions where you may look
at what the planning will be and what may need
to go in front of one foot in front of
the other. But the government should be able to multitask.
They should be able to bring in private investment as
well as look at the investment, the government investment and
(11:08):
the partnership which the project. The Alice Springs Art Gallery
project was a project with the federal government and the
territory government. You can be able to do both. But
the vision about how do you get there and what
the outcome is is yet to be seen by the
colp government.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
Oppositionally to just a really quick one on this because
I want to move along, but just quickly. You haven't
according to what the COLP has said, the former government
didn't actually even allocate any money though for ongoing costs
for those projects I operating them.
Speaker 3 (11:41):
Well, we know, Katie that projects that come from the
federal government are around infrastructure. That's no secret. We've had
that for many, many decades in the Northern Territory. So
projects that are invested in with the territory government and
the federal government are infrastructure projects. Operational funding.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
Yeah, but how did the former government not budget any
kind of operational costs in terms of the forward planning
for these projects?
Speaker 2 (12:09):
Like you know that the.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
Money is coming in, you know that it's going to
be invested in obviously these major projects are going to happen.
But then to have something like, for example, you know
the gallery in our CBD, but there are no operating
cost in terms of the forward planning like that sort
of seems to me if you're running a business and
doing it in that way, a lot of people who
do run businesses will be scratching their heads saying, how
(12:30):
on earth did you do.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
It like that? O?
Speaker 3 (12:34):
Katie, I could tell you there's Alice Springs businesses that
are scratching their head at the CLP's change of the
size and the magnitude of the Alice Springs Art Gallery.
It's actually going to be smaller than the Shepherdon Regional
Gallery in Victoria, so it's not going to be a
project of significance nationally. It's not going to bring in
(12:54):
the fifty three thousand visitors that were projected year on
near for the territory economy to rebuild. So I know
there's a lot of Alice Springs businesses that are very
disappointed in this particular decision by the COLP government and
it doesn't show how the economy is going to rebuild
in somewhere like Central Australia. Were yet to see what
the vision is.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
Well. Look, I will talk more about that in a
few minutes because we are due to catch up with
tourism Central Australia. Selena Rubo, while I've still got you
on the line. There was a lot of discussion last
week about the Rainbow flags and the Torres Strait Islander
flags being removed from the Royal Darwin and Palmerston Hospital
four years where they'd been up alongside the Australian, the
(13:34):
n and the Aboriginal flags. First off, was it part
of policy that they be hung or how did they
go up?
Speaker 2 (13:41):
Were you the Health minister at.
Speaker 3 (13:43):
The time, Katie. The flags were in place before was
the Health minister, which is the last eight months of
our labor government. They were part of an inclusion policy
to celebrate and recognize and appreciate diversity. So that's something
(14:03):
that has come from ensuring that members of the community
and that territorians feel safe and secure when they seek
to have access to health services, and that our health
services across the Northern Territory are accepting and welcoming of
all territories and the celebration of diversity in that sense.
(14:26):
So that's what my understanding of why the flag has
been hung. I mean, the torresto on the flag is
obviously a First nation's national flag, so I completely do
not understand why that decision was made. That's for the
government to address and to talk about. But I know,
particularly around the pride and the transgender flags, that was
around showing all members of the community that health services
(14:50):
in the Northern Territory are accepting and welcoming to everyone
accessing health in the Northern Territory.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
Now, as I understand it, a staffer from your office
is well has been banned at least from entering Parliament
House for a week after being captured on CCTV cameras
entering a lift near your officers, then exiting on the
fifth floor near the offices of.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
The Chief Minister.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
That staff I was then seen heading towards the men's
lose where they'd plastered a poster of the Northern Territory
Health Minister Steve Edgington superimposed over a rainbow on the
men's toilet wall. Was this staff for operating on their
own accord or was it part of a plan that
had sort of been concocted by other staff members, Katie.
Speaker 3 (15:34):
Once I was made aware of this incident involving life,
staff member absolutely reined it in straight away. Does not
reflect the standard that I expect of my staff and
particularly in the role as the Opposition leader. I can
tell you that the staff member is extremely remorseful that
acknowledged that it has a mistake and it was a
(15:54):
bad call of judgment, which was something that was supposed
to be in jet than a joke and absolutely wasn't
It was unacceptable in the place of Parliament as a workplace.
The staff member has apologized not only to me as
the employer, but also directly to the Minister for Health,
Steve Eddington, who was the subject of the image and
(16:15):
the poster. So there has been some severe consequences for
that staff member and I can just say is completely
out of character for the staff member. But they are
deeply remorseful and they have definitely learned from the mistakes.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
I guess some people are questioning if it demonstrates, you know,
an immaturity from your office.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
But from what you are saying, you did not condone it.
You didn't know about it beforehand.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
No, I was actually not in Darwin Well when I
found out about the incident, and it was raised with
me directly with the Speaker, Robin Lambley, and I took
director and action as soon as she called me to
inform me what had happened.
Speaker 1 (16:54):
And I mean, is that do you feel as though
the action that's been taken now goes far enough?
Speaker 3 (17:00):
I think that the staff members received a written warning.
They've also through the Speaker, as who's the responsible person
of the running of Parliament, receives the expulsion for a week.
Members of Parliament don't even get expelled for expelled from
parliament for a week, So I think the gravity and
(17:21):
the severity of the consequence has definitely made its impact
and we all know that that's unacceptable and we will
continue to maintain that high standard and know that there
has been a mistake made and the person who's learned
from that mistake.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
Well Selena Ubo Opposition later here in the Northern Territory.
Good to catch up with you this morning. We'll talk
to you again next week when parliament resumes.
Speaker 3 (17:46):
Thank you so much, Katie, great Gay you two
Joining me on the line right now is the opposition
leader Selena Rubo.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Good morning to you.
Speaker 3 (00:06):
Good morning Katy, and good morning to you listeners.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Great to have you on the show now.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Selena, just first off, disturbing news of course from overnight
with this person shot in Coconut Grove. They had to
be arrested. They were actually arrested in Catherine in your
neck of the woods. What is your reaction to this occurring.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
Yeah, Katie, I think I'm just as shocked as you
know other fellow community members hearing about this incident. You know,
people are hoping it's a once off, but from talking
to community members about concerns around crime and becoming more serious,
more violent and more prevalent, I think unfortunately we're starting
to see that in the territory now.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
It's a worry. There is no other way to put it.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
I mean, the fact that somebody has been shot in
the Northern suburbs and we'll find out some further detail
from the Northern Territory Police. I mean, at this point
in time, we don't have a huge amount of background,
but no doubt that a lord of Territorians hearing this
for the first time now are going to be utterly
shocked to hear that this has happened.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
Yeah, I agree, Katie, and I think we're going to
be asking some serious questions around what the government's doing
to continue on what they said they would do, which
is to keep territory and safe. So we're going to
have some very serious questions to them.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Now, just on that. We do know that we have got.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
Absolute record numbers in terms of our jails being full
at the moment. We've spoken quite a bit about this
over the last couple of weeks, and we know that
there is fifty percent of our prisoners are on remand
with those record high prisoner numbers, what do you think
needs to be done to try and push cases through
the courts more quickly.
Speaker 3 (01:47):
Yeah, I guess there's some very interesting takes on this.
I haven't heard other than what the new Theopic government's
put down on paper around what their plan is. I
haven't heard of any real traction that's being made in
a space around particularly what you're talking about, Katie, seeing
the justice system flow through a bit smoother. So I'll
(02:07):
be very interested to see what the new government's plans
are around the justice peace. They've talked about the punitive piece.
We know that, and that's where the numbers are becoming higher.
But what's happening to help the system actually flow. I
don't see any plan around that. Well.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
I know that they announced additional judges to step into
those roles to try to get things moving a little
bit more quickly.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Over the Christmas break.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
There was a there was less of a break I
guess through the court system. But oppositionly, is it time
do you think for us to maybe look at building
a remand center.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
I mean that would cost a lot of money as well, Katie.
So I'll be very interested to see what way the
government decides to choose to progress this or not progress
this issue. We know that some of the comments that
have been made have been around again the quick fix,
not the long term, and I've yet to hear anything
about the long term from the COLP government.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Look in terms of in terms of you know, money
being invested, money being spent. One area of concern which
you have been raising for quite some time is the
area of domestic violence. Certainly you'd like to see some
of that money will really you know, get out there
and to try to make some change in this space.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
What exactly are you.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
Concerns as we get into the new year and with
Parliament set to begin.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
Next week, Katie, the COLP government promised to start getting
that one hundred and eighty million dollars of funding for
the domestic violence prevention sector out the door by the
end of January. Obviously we're now at the start of February,
so they have broken their promise in that respect. We
see some of the most shocking crimes in the Northern
(03:54):
Territory which are domestic violence related, and we can't continue
to urgently request and urgently encourage the government to roll
out that one hundred and eighty million dollars to the experts,
the DV sector, experts in our community, so we can
see territories protected and that we can see domestic violence
(04:15):
prevention in the Northern Territory. The CLP said they would
do this, but yet to do it. They said they're
going to be a government of action, and we are
seeing lack of action. This is an area that's also
going to reduce crime. And we just do not understand, Katie,
why the CLP government is not rolling out that critical
funding to the DV sector.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
And so is this going to be a big point
of focus for the opposition as Parliament resumes next week
and as we get into twenty twenty five.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
Absolutely, Katie, I think we can't. I think we can't
stop focusing and highlighting the issue of domestic and family
violence across the Northern Territory. We had a bipartisan agreement
at the end of last year which was led by
our Labor opposition, so we can go above politics in
this particular area, which we know affect every part of
(05:05):
our community across the Norman Territory and the lack of
action is extremely frustrating, but it's also quite dangerous, Katie,
because I do believe we'll see more lives lost to
domestic violence in the Norman Territory unless we see more
investment in our prevention measures, and that's what I'm most
concerned about on behalf of territoriums.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Yeah, we've really got to see some change in this
space right across the board. And I'll be blunt about it.
I actually think it's a failure from the federal government,
from the local government. Over years and years, this issue
has really deteriorated to the point that it is right now,
and the way in which Territorians are seeing the impacts
and feeling the impacts. I believe it the worst in
(05:48):
the nation. So there is no doubt that there needs
to be some really serious and urgent work in this space.
Opposition leader, I want to ask you.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
We know that the Treasurer Bill.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
Is going to be out today on his budget road show.
Now he's issued a statement this morning saying that there
is an enormous mess that's been left behind by the
former Labor government. He said there was a failure to
allocate any operational funding to pet projects like the Darwin
Art Gallery estimated to be at least six million dollars
(06:22):
a year, as well as the Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander Art Gallery of Australia project estimated to be an
excess of ten million dollars a year. He reckons there's
a massive budget blowout on those pet projects, with the
Darwin Art Gallery blowing out from seventy million dollars to
one hundred and forty three million, while the Aboriginal Torres
(06:46):
Strait Islander Art Gallery was first announced at one hundred
and fifty million and that's blown out to three hundred
million dollars before the colp well before they say they
rained in the budget and ragined at back into its
original allocation. I mean, how on earth were these things
not budgeted.
Speaker 3 (07:06):
For, Katie. The Treasurer's press release today has shown that
there's actually no substance of any economic vision or plan
that the CLP said they would rebuild the territory's economy.
They have nothing in that press release today, and I'll
be very interested to hear how the Treasurer's road show
goes and what's the vision of the government to really
(07:28):
rebuild the territory's economy, because that, oh, it's a bunch
of words. It's no vision, it's no plan that shows
that the CLP is going to support the territory and
our economic rebuilding.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
So it sounds like it sounds like the plan is
to try and rain in the spending and to actually
get to the bottom of the finances, which they're claiming
that the former Labor government which you were part of,
really didn't take as seriously as you should have.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
Katie. I know you mentioned the Alice Springs are Gallery,
the national average on total and the art gallery. The
COLP has been saying it's a waste of money and
that they've rained in that project and they've made changes
to it. This is a project that was projected to
bring in fifty three thousand tourists to the territory economy
every year, so territory jobs, territory businesses are going to
(08:19):
benefit from that as well as the territory economy, and
now they've reduced that project dramatically. I was in Alice
Springs just last month and there are a lot of
unhappy businesses, people who planned and made years of business
planning around this project to capitalize on the economy that
it would bring into Central Australia specifically, but also the
(08:40):
territory to benefit. And I think the Treasurer is already
out of touch because a lot of people in Alice
Springs are extremely disappointed that the Colp government has made
this decision without any community consultation and the lack of
understanding of what a iconic national project in the territory
would bring to a territory economy is just outstanding. I
(09:03):
can't understand how they are not connecting the dots and
that particular project.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
Katie oppositionally do I know that there will be some
out there listening this morning though, saying how can you
make promises that you can't actually afford.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
Well, Katie, when we talk about rebuilding the territory's economy,
you have to have investment in growth. So far, the
Silpic government, in their four months of governing, have not
shown how they're going to commit to investing in the
growth of the territory. They've talked about things that they'll
do that will rain in the budget and I understand that,
(09:39):
but they haven't talked about how they're going to grow
the economy.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
But is that what the territory is the role of them?
Speaker 1 (09:45):
I mean, I would argue that that's they would say
that that's what the role of the Territory coordinator and
trying to bring in, you know, projects that actually aren't
funded by the Northern Territory government, but trying to get
private investment into the Norse Than territory.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
Katie, the government is a government for the whole of
the territory. It shouldn't rely on one position of a
position and a role that doesn't exist yet to do
that for the territory economy. That will assist, but the
planning and the vision of the Government of the day
also needs to take responsibility rather than fobbing it off.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
To a but just so I've got this straight, I
guess for territorians, just so I've got this straight.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
But so you.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
Would argue that the reality is that the government should
actually use taxpayers dollars to get things moving and build
projects like the art gallery, rather than try to push
for that private investment and try to make that as
as co you know, like as sort of as easy
is not the right word, but I guess you knows
as easy as possible to happen.
Speaker 3 (10:46):
In the end, Katie, A government can do more than
one thing. You don't have to choose one thing over
the other. Yes, you have decisions where you may look
at what the planning will be and what may need
to go in front of one foot in front of
the other. But the government should be able to multitask.
They should be able to bring in private investment as
well as look at the investment, the government investment and
(11:08):
the partnership which the project. The Alice Springs Art Gallery
project was a project with the federal government and the
territory government. You can be able to do both. But
the vision about how do you get there and what
the outcome is is yet to be seen by the
colp government.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
Oppositionally to just a really quick one on this because
I want to move along, but just quickly. You haven't
according to what the COLP has said, the former government
didn't actually even allocate any money though for ongoing costs
for those projects I operating them.
Speaker 3 (11:41):
Well, we know, Katie that projects that come from the
federal government are around infrastructure. That's no secret. We've had
that for many, many decades in the Northern Territory. So
projects that are invested in with the territory government and
the federal government are infrastructure projects. Operational funding.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
Yeah, but how did the former government not budget any
kind of operational costs in terms of the forward planning
for these projects?
Speaker 2 (12:09):
Like you know that the.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
Money is coming in, you know that it's going to
be invested in obviously these major projects are going to happen.
But then to have something like, for example, you know
the gallery in our CBD, but there are no operating
cost in terms of the forward planning like that sort
of seems to me if you're running a business and
doing it in that way, a lot of people who
do run businesses will be scratching their heads saying, how
(12:30):
on earth did you do.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
It like that? O?
Speaker 3 (12:34):
Katie, I could tell you there's Alice Springs businesses that
are scratching their head at the CLP's change of the
size and the magnitude of the Alice Springs Art Gallery.
It's actually going to be smaller than the Shepherdon Regional
Gallery in Victoria, so it's not going to be a
project of significance nationally. It's not going to bring in
(12:54):
the fifty three thousand visitors that were projected year on
near for the territory economy to rebuild. So I know
there's a lot of Alice Springs businesses that are very
disappointed in this particular decision by the COLP government and
it doesn't show how the economy is going to rebuild
in somewhere like Central Australia. Were yet to see what
the vision is.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
Well. Look, I will talk more about that in a
few minutes because we are due to catch up with
tourism Central Australia. Selena Rubo, while I've still got you
on the line. There was a lot of discussion last
week about the Rainbow flags and the Torres Strait Islander
flags being removed from the Royal Darwin and Palmerston Hospital
four years where they'd been up alongside the Australian, the
(13:34):
n and the Aboriginal flags. First off, was it part
of policy that they be hung or how did they
go up?
Speaker 2 (13:41):
Were you the Health minister at.
Speaker 3 (13:43):
The time, Katie. The flags were in place before was
the Health minister, which is the last eight months of
our labor government. They were part of an inclusion policy
to celebrate and recognize and appreciate diversity. So that's something
(14:03):
that has come from ensuring that members of the community
and that territorians feel safe and secure when they seek
to have access to health services, and that our health
services across the Northern Territory are accepting and welcoming of
all territories and the celebration of diversity in that sense.
(14:26):
So that's what my understanding of why the flag has
been hung. I mean, the torresto on the flag is
obviously a First nation's national flag, so I completely do
not understand why that decision was made. That's for the
government to address and to talk about. But I know,
particularly around the pride and the transgender flags, that was
around showing all members of the community that health services
(14:50):
in the Northern Territory are accepting and welcoming to everyone
accessing health in the Northern Territory.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
Now, as I understand it, a staffer from your office
is well has been banned at least from entering Parliament
House for a week after being captured on CCTV cameras
entering a lift near your officers, then exiting on the
fifth floor near the offices of.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
The Chief Minister.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
That staff I was then seen heading towards the men's
lose where they'd plastered a poster of the Northern Territory
Health Minister Steve Edgington superimposed over a rainbow on the
men's toilet wall. Was this staff for operating on their
own accord or was it part of a plan that
had sort of been concocted by other staff members, Katie.
Speaker 3 (15:34):
Once I was made aware of this incident involving life,
staff member absolutely reined it in straight away. Does not
reflect the standard that I expect of my staff and
particularly in the role as the Opposition leader. I can
tell you that the staff member is extremely remorseful that
acknowledged that it has a mistake and it was a
(15:54):
bad call of judgment, which was something that was supposed
to be in jet than a joke and absolutely wasn't
It was unacceptable in the place of Parliament as a workplace.
The staff member has apologized not only to me as
the employer, but also directly to the Minister for Health,
Steve Eddington, who was the subject of the image and
(16:15):
the poster. So there has been some severe consequences for
that staff member and I can just say is completely
out of character for the staff member. But they are
deeply remorseful and they have definitely learned from the mistakes.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
I guess some people are questioning if it demonstrates, you know,
an immaturity from your office.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
But from what you are saying, you did not condone it.
You didn't know about it beforehand.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
No, I was actually not in Darwin Well when I
found out about the incident, and it was raised with
me directly with the Speaker, Robin Lambley, and I took
director and action as soon as she called me to
inform me what had happened.
Speaker 1 (16:54):
And I mean, is that do you feel as though
the action that's been taken now goes far enough?
Speaker 3 (17:00):
I think that the staff members received a written warning.
They've also through the Speaker, as who's the responsible person
of the running of Parliament, receives the expulsion for a week.
Members of Parliament don't even get expelled for expelled from
parliament for a week, So I think the gravity and
(17:21):
the severity of the consequence has definitely made its impact
and we all know that that's unacceptable and we will
continue to maintain that high standard and know that there
has been a mistake made and the person who's learned
from that mistake.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
Well Selena Ubo Opposition later here in the Northern Territory.
Good to catch up with you this morning. We'll talk
to you again next week when parliament resumes.
Speaker 3 (17:46):
Thank you so much, Katie, great Gay you two
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