Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
But look questions again being asked yesterday about MLA travel
after an ABC freedom of information requests detailed three of
the government's eight backbenches charge taxpayers a combined eleven thousand
dollars to travel as an assistant minister, a title not
officially recognized by the NT Parliament. Now, it's not the
(00:20):
first time it's happened. In fact, the now opposition leader
was scrutinized back in twenty nineteen for taking a taxpayer
funded trip to Canberra in an assistant minister capacity. Now
joining us on the line, well, he is the former
Independent member for Nelson. Jerry would good morning to you, Jerry.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Good morning, Katie, humid hot morning.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Oh it is a warm one. Lovely to have you
on the show now, Jerry, as a member of Parliament
who traveled pretty rarely when you're in office and always
provided a detailed report of any of the outcomes from
your travel, what do you make of the latest revelations
around assistant ministerial travel.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
I don't sure why we need them to me. It
looks a bit of like window dressing, or I said
to someone now O day, they feel like Katherine Kim saying, yeah,
look at me, look at me. I mean, you know,
ministers have their people assisting them in their departments and
that's fair enough, but I just think it's an unnecessary
sort of added bureaucracy, you might say, which is more
(01:25):
I think political. It's sort of more like advertising when
we need back benches. When your back benches working, the
electorates and obviously backbenches sho'll be getting out and learning
about the territory. So if you live in a suburban Darwen,
you might necessarily know about the building program at you
and Demur or something. So there are times when I
think you can get out and that's what I used
(01:45):
to do. But you had a travel allowance for that,
which was I think combined with the electoral allouance, and
that's what you used. And when you go on a
travel you need to report back to your community as
why you went there and what you found out. Because
there's no doubt that members of Parliament need to learn
because they don't know everything, and that's an important part
of their role. But to add another layer, you might
(02:08):
say that I think is unnecessary. And you know, when
times are tight with the budget, I don't think we
should be wasting money we should making sure we spend
it properly.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
Yeah. Look, my views the same as yours, particularly when
I first sort of read the headline on this story.
Then you go into a bit further detail about who's
gone and where they've gone. I mean, we've got a
situation where Coda Patel has then gone to the Beaterloo
project I believe twice to have a look at that project.
You've then got Ollie Carlson in her role as the
(02:37):
Assistant Minister for Treasury. I think it was traveling to
Noulham Boy. I don't have much detail on what that
trip was all about. And then of course Laurie Zeo
traveling in her role as the assistant as one of
the assistant ministers for an event that I believe the
minister couldn't attend. So in some instances I get it,
(02:58):
But like you've said, do you know in others, like
if you're going out to check out the Bloo project, again,
good thing to do, but you do get a travel allowance.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
Yeah, and look, if you're going out there, you know,
once upon a time you had to tell people what
you did. I think the travel allounce you had to
report on what you did. I think that's been put
into the electoral all ounce I might't be a bit
out of touch here. I think you don't have to
do that anymore, and I think that's a bad move.
If you want to open a transparent government on all
sides of Parliament, you need to tell people what you're
(03:30):
doing where you've spent money and people then have a
bit more trust in what politicians are doing. But if
you're not reporting back on where you spent the money,
then people start to say, oh, that was all about.
But I just think that assistant ministers, I think it's
just a bit of window addressing for the party. The
Labor Party did the same. I just think it's you
(03:52):
know what, are we going to have a deputy assistant someone?
And I agree that. I agree. Look where say minister's
got two functions on the same time. Yeah, you might
just ask one of the back benches would you step
in for him? You'll have the speech prepared because the
department would have prepared the set, so he represents the
minister there. But that's not an assistant minister. That's just
(04:13):
filling in for we're in the minister. Yeah, you can't
do it.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
Well, Look, I think it's worth porting out. They don't
get paid additional money to be those assistant ministers. I
guess it's more a matter of them, you know, having
some additional knowledge in those areas. However, you know when
you then when they are heading away on trips. I
think the point that you made, which I really think
is a good one, is that you've got to be
able to sort of, you know, to outlay the tangible
(04:38):
outcomes from that trip. And for a lot of us,
we may not have a big issue you know with
the with the assistant ministers or the members of parliament
going to visit certain projects for example, to learn more
about them, if people in their electorates are asking about it.
But give us those tangible outcomes. And Jerry, I know
that that is something that you used to always do.
You would write reports, you'd make sure you're deliver the
(05:00):
one to the studio for me whenever you went somewhere.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Well, I just think you bring people into your confidence
and you also helping them understand that. So I went
on looked at different energies through Europe, and because nuclear,
looked at hydrogen, looked at wave, look at sola, all
sorts of things that I saw there so I had
a better understanding of we don't have nuclear power, except
(05:25):
that we have a little bit of leukocytes, but that's
really medicine. But for me, I needed to get a
better understanding of just hearing people say no, it's terrible,
or someone's saying it's great, have a look, go and
talk to the people that run them. And that's exactly
what I did. But I looked at it, looked at
other things. I wasn't going there with a sole purpose
of one thing. I was trying to learn broaden my
(05:45):
knowledge of how energy is produced in other parts of
the world. And it was the same with learning about
government in Canada, where you got two parts of Canada
that don't have parties polegal parties, and I thought, oh,
be a good idea for the Northern territory. But of
course the parties are like that idea of the territory.
(06:06):
But I still think it's a great way to do
to run a government.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
Yeah. Well, Jerry Wood, I always appreciate your insight. Thank
you very much for having a chat with me this morning.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Thanks Katie, thank you
But look questions again being asked yesterday about MLA travel
after an ABC freedom of information requests detailed three of
the government's eight backbenches charge taxpayers a combined eleven thousand
dollars to travel as an assistant minister, a title not
officially recognized by the NT Parliament. Now, it's not the
(00:20):
first time it's happened. In fact, the now opposition leader
was scrutinized back in twenty nineteen for taking a taxpayer
funded trip to Canberra in an assistant minister capacity. Now
joining us on the line, well, he is the former
Independent member for Nelson. Jerry would good morning to you, Jerry.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Good morning, Katie, humid hot morning.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Oh it is a warm one. Lovely to have you
on the show now, Jerry, as a member of Parliament
who traveled pretty rarely when you're in office and always
provided a detailed report of any of the outcomes from
your travel, what do you make of the latest revelations
around assistant ministerial travel.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
I don't sure why we need them to me. It
looks a bit of like window dressing, or I said
to someone now O day, they feel like Katherine Kim saying, yeah,
look at me, look at me. I mean, you know,
ministers have their people assisting them in their departments and
that's fair enough, but I just think it's an unnecessary
sort of added bureaucracy, you might say, which is more
(01:25):
I think political. It's sort of more like advertising when
we need back benches. When your back benches working, the
electorates and obviously backbenches sho'll be getting out and learning
about the territory. So if you live in a suburban Darwen,
you might necessarily know about the building program at you
and Demur or something. So there are times when I
think you can get out and that's what I used
(01:45):
to do. But you had a travel allowance for that,
which was I think combined with the electoral allouance, and
that's what you used. And when you go on a
travel you need to report back to your community as
why you went there and what you found out. Because
there's no doubt that members of Parliament need to learn
because they don't know everything, and that's an important part
of their role. But to add another layer, you might
(02:08):
say that I think is unnecessary. And you know, when
times are tight with the budget, I don't think we
should be wasting money we should making sure we spend
it properly.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
Yeah. Look, my views the same as yours, particularly when
I first sort of read the headline on this story.
Then you go into a bit further detail about who's
gone and where they've gone. I mean, we've got a
situation where Coda Patel has then gone to the Beaterloo
project I believe twice to have a look at that project.
You've then got Ollie Carlson in her role as the
(02:37):
Assistant Minister for Treasury. I think it was traveling to
Noulham Boy. I don't have much detail on what that
trip was all about. And then of course Laurie Zeo
traveling in her role as the assistant as one of
the assistant ministers for an event that I believe the
minister couldn't attend. So in some instances I get it,
(02:58):
But like you've said, do you know in others, like
if you're going out to check out the Bloo project, again,
good thing to do, but you do get a travel allowance.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
Yeah, and look, if you're going out there, you know,
once upon a time you had to tell people what
you did. I think the travel allounce you had to
report on what you did. I think that's been put
into the electoral all ounce I might't be a bit
out of touch here. I think you don't have to
do that anymore, and I think that's a bad move.
If you want to open a transparent government on all
sides of Parliament, you need to tell people what you're
(03:30):
doing where you've spent money and people then have a
bit more trust in what politicians are doing. But if
you're not reporting back on where you spent the money,
then people start to say, oh, that was all about.
But I just think that assistant ministers, I think it's
just a bit of window addressing for the party. The
Labor Party did the same. I just think it's you
(03:52):
know what, are we going to have a deputy assistant someone?
And I agree that. I agree. Look where say minister's
got two functions on the same time. Yeah, you might
just ask one of the back benches would you step
in for him? You'll have the speech prepared because the
department would have prepared the set, so he represents the
minister there. But that's not an assistant minister. That's just
(04:13):
filling in for we're in the minister. Yeah, you can't
do it.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
Well, Look, I think it's worth porting out. They don't
get paid additional money to be those assistant ministers. I
guess it's more a matter of them, you know, having
some additional knowledge in those areas. However, you know when
you then when they are heading away on trips. I
think the point that you made, which I really think
is a good one, is that you've got to be
able to sort of, you know, to outlay the tangible
(04:38):
outcomes from that trip. And for a lot of us,
we may not have a big issue you know with
the with the assistant ministers or the members of parliament
going to visit certain projects for example, to learn more
about them, if people in their electorates are asking about it.
But give us those tangible outcomes. And Jerry, I know
that that is something that you used to always do.
You would write reports, you'd make sure you're deliver the
(05:00):
one to the studio for me whenever you went somewhere.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Well, I just think you bring people into your confidence
and you also helping them understand that. So I went
on looked at different energies through Europe, and because nuclear,
looked at hydrogen, looked at wave, look at sola, all
sorts of things that I saw there so I had
a better understanding of we don't have nuclear power, except
(05:25):
that we have a little bit of leukocytes, but that's
really medicine. But for me, I needed to get a
better understanding of just hearing people say no, it's terrible,
or someone's saying it's great, have a look, go and
talk to the people that run them. And that's exactly
what I did. But I looked at it, looked at
other things. I wasn't going there with a sole purpose
of one thing. I was trying to learn broaden my
(05:45):
knowledge of how energy is produced in other parts of
the world. And it was the same with learning about
government in Canada, where you got two parts of Canada
that don't have parties polegal parties, and I thought, oh,
be a good idea for the Northern territory. But of
course the parties are like that idea of the territory.
(06:06):
But I still think it's a great way to do
to run a government.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
Yeah. Well, Jerry Wood, I always appreciate your insight. Thank
you very much for having a chat with me this morning.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Thanks Katie, thank you
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist
It’s 1996 in rural North Carolina, and an oddball crew makes history when they pull off America’s third largest cash heist. But it’s all downhill from there. Join host Johnny Knoxville as he unspools a wild and woolly tale about a group of regular ‘ol folks who risked it all for a chance at a better life. CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist answers the question: what would you do with 17.3 million dollars? The answer includes diamond rings, mansions, velvet Elvis paintings, plus a run for the border, murder-for-hire-plots, and FBI busts.