Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now in what is some pretty significant news I think
over the weekend, the Office of the Director of Public
Prosecutions has reportedly spent more than two hundred and fifty
thousand dollars on their failed attempt to convict the Northern
Territory Children's Commissioner, Colleen Gwynn on an abuse of office charge.
That is according to a report by Matt Cunningham from
(00:20):
Sky News Now. In a written response to questions from
the Independent MLA Robin Lamley, the Office of the DPP
confirmed that it had spent two hundred and sixty three
thousand dollars on the case, which was thrown out of
court in March before the defense had presented any evidence.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
The Member Fararara.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Lun Robin Lamley joins me on the line from Alice
Springs this morning.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Good morning to you, Robin, Good morning Katie, Robin. Thanks
so much for your time.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
What questions did you ask about this situation with the
Children's Commissioner.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
I just asked two very simple questions. I find the
more impool they are, the better the more likely you
are to get a response at all. Yeah, it's a
bit hit and miss, but I just asked how much
was spent by the Department of Public Prosecutions on the
Gwynn case and for a breakdown. I don't have that
(01:16):
breakdown in front of me, Katie, but the response was
very clear. They spent an enormous amount of money, over
two hundred and sixty thousand dollars. But keep in mind
that doesn't include wages, So the actual cost of this
case that they tried to wage against Colin Gwynn was
(01:38):
probably more in the realm of half a million dollars.
I would say at a guest.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
To matter, Robin, is that something that you'll be asking
some further questions about during the estimates process, because as
you've just touched on there, I mean the police investigation,
it could have cost quite a substantial amount of money
and the wages.
Speaker 3 (01:59):
Look, try, it doesn't always go to plan in estimates,
but I will certainly try. I actually think, Katie, this
whole debarcle, this whole case, should be the subject of
an inquiry, an official inquiry. There's something very wrong about
what happened here. I haven't followed it particularly closely, but
(02:22):
there's enough information in the public realm to suggest that
this case stinks.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Yeah, I think there are still so many questions that
really remain outstanding at this point in time.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
But Robin, all the while, we've still got somebody.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Acting in the role, and plenty of people really wondering
what is going to be the future of the Children's Commissioner.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
Colin Gwynn.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
Well, yes, and I had the honor of working with
doctor Howard Barth years ago. He was our first Children's Commissioner.
I can't remember exactly when he started, but he was
in the job for around ten years, and he was
an academic. He was very clever, he was a specialist
in the area of child welfare, child mental health. He
(03:10):
really set the standard of this position very, very high.
And then we went to Colleen, who was not an
expert in children at all. Howard was a psychologist. And
now we are where we are, where we've got an
acting Children's Commissioner. I think she's a social worker. I
don't know that she's got any particular specialization in her area.
(03:35):
I just wonder about the whole status and integrity of
this very very important position as Children's Commissioner in a
jurisdiction known as the Northern Territory where we have the
highest rates of child abuse and neglect in the country,
the highest rates of out of home care in the country,
and we have for decades. This position is vital to
(03:58):
give us insight, understanding, and an extra layer of scrutiny
as to what the government and all the agencies that
are funded to look after children are doing. I don't
think the Office of Children of the Children's Commissioner is
functioning the way it was under doctor Howard Bath. Robert,
(04:19):
that's really really sad and concerning.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
Do you think that there needs to be some kind
of inquiry here?
Speaker 2 (04:24):
What needs to happen?
Speaker 3 (04:27):
Well, I think the government needs to show some leadership.
I think they need to probably do their own internal inquiry.
We need the best possible person in that position. I'm
not sure that this I can't think of her name Huck.
I think is Nicole Huck. I don't know much about her,
(04:48):
so I won't be overly critical, but I think we
need an expert like doctor Howard Bath was to lead
us in a really high level discussion about the welfare
of children in the Northern Territory. And we haven't had that, Katie,
for a long long time. That concerns me. We used
(05:10):
to have it. We haven't got it now, what the
hell's going on? The government is responsible for making sure
that our government departments function at the highest level, and
it includes this very important office of Children's the Children's Commissioner.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
Rob and I do want to move along because there has,
as we all know, been plenty of issues in Alice Springs.
They've been very well documented. Before I get into what
you are calling for, how has it been in Alice
over the recent days.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Look, crime is still a major problem. We are facing
a crime crisis. Things have improved, but crime is still
a major problem. We had crime stats come out a
few weeks ago for the twelve months ending at the
end of March twenty twenty three, and I did some
number crunch in Katie. We have in our springs twenty
(06:03):
percent more reported incidents of crime than in Darwin and
we have less than half the population. Yeah, that really
gives a bit of perspective of what we're facing here.
Things have improved slightly with the ban on takeaway alcohol
on Mondays and Tuesdays. There have been a significant difference
(06:26):
and improvement, but we have such a long way to go.
We can't sort of start celebrating and patting ourselves on
the back yet because our stats are still horrific compared
to in Australia pretty much.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
Well, this is the thing.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
So, Robin, I know that you have been advocating for
three things when it comes to alcohol policy for Alice
Springs moving forward. And I know that you know it's
not the answer to absolutely everything the alcohol situation, and
you know sorting that out, but it.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
Would go a long way. What are you advocating for exactly?
Speaker 3 (07:00):
Yes, Katie, you're right, and I put that in my
press release that I put out late last week that
alcohol restrictions are not a solution, but they give us
some peace and I think in a case like Alice
Springs that's really really important. Just a bit of a
reprieve for a couple of days a week is really important.
But look, I've come a long way. I started my
(07:22):
time as an elected member of this community back in
two thousand and four on council, so it's been almost
twenty years that I've been a part of the debate
on alcohol and alcohol strategies. So for me to come
to this point, Katie, is quite profound. It's in a
long road, but I support those two alcohol takeaway three
(07:45):
days a week in Alice Springs continuing permanently, if that's
the word you want to use, but into the future,
into the foreseeable future, that has made a difference. The
second thing I think we should be looking at is
on Sundays weirdly, and I can't even explain why there's
only two bottle shops in town that open in our
(08:07):
Springs on a Sunday, the Todd Tavern and the Gap View.
They are open from twelve to nine pm, which is
inconsistent with what we do pretty much every other day.
Normally we open it two and all the bottle shops
are open, and there's about ten of them. So I
think we should be looking at cutting the hours on
(08:27):
a Sunday, even halving them. It sounds reasonable to me.
But the third thing I'm advocating for is that the
town camps of Alice Springs remain permanently dry. We saw
the lifting of the Stronger Future alcohol bands from mid
the middle of last year to January this year, and
(08:49):
we saw absolute chaos in ten Domestic violence just was
out of control, and historically that the town camps have
been unfortunately the center of a lot of that violence
and they still are, so to put alcohol back into
those town camps under anti circumstance is a disaster. So
(09:12):
those three things, Katie, keep the two day a week
alcohol ban, take away alcohol ban in place, cut the
hours take away hours on a Sunday, and keep those
bands permanently in place for all the town camps.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Robin, what's the reaction been.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
I've become well, and you know, like I guess that
there would be people in Alice Springs who agree with you.
Whatever can sort of minimize the impacts that you've got
there around crime but also the effects of alcohol issues.
What's been the feedback from the people of Alice Springs,
but particularly from those town camps following on from you
sort of calling for this on Friday.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
Well, you don't hear much from the town camps. Tanguanjurra
Council is the council that represents the interests of the
town camps and the government's given them the contracts that
control the housing and the housing maintenance of the town camp.
So they're very closed and they don't do much media
at all. So I don't know what they're thinking. But
(10:14):
what I do know is that the government reimposed their restrictions,
the ban on alcohol in town camps back in February
last year, after the Prime Minister had to come into
town and tell them to do that. But it was
on the proviso that they could develop alcohol management plans
(10:39):
and have alcohol reinstated or the ability to drink alcohol
in those town camps reinstate, providing they came up with
alcohol management plans. I don't know what's going on. I
haven't heard anything. You don't hear much. They don't go
public internally. There might be a lot of work being done,
but I don't know, but I don't agree with that.
I think that the town camps, it's public housing in
(11:04):
certain areas, it's all public housing. It's government for housing.
They they're they're separate entities, but they're not. It's kind
of a weird setup. But you know, given the history
and the fact that they continue to be sadly hubs
of violence and alcohol fueled chaos and crime, rob you
(11:27):
can't ignore that. You can't ignore it is.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
What you're calling for.
Speaker 1 (11:31):
Race based policy.
Speaker 3 (11:35):
It is race based policy. But what most Aboriginal people,
particularly the leaders across the Northern territory said when those
when that stronger futures race based policy when those alcohol
restrictions are the stronger futures were lifted. That yes, it's
a race based policy, but it's it's under the banner
(11:55):
of positive discrimination. It's about looking after and caring for
vulnerable people living on those communities that will be harmed
by alcohol. So under the definition provided by Aboriginal leaders
at the time, there's race based policies that are okay
and race based policies that aren't okay. And I think,
(12:18):
you know, if you think about how alcohol negatively impacts
particularly women and children and the elderly, then I think
it's reasonable to keep those restrictions in place in the
town camps of Alice Springs. I'm not going to talk
about beyond Alla Springs from an Alice Springs based member
(12:39):
of Parliament. I'm only concerned really about the welfare of
the people of my community, and keeping those bands in
place will mean that people are a hell of a
lot safer.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
Robin.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
Before I let you go this morning, I know that
there'd been some issues that you had raised in parliament
last time. It sat around vandalism to Alice Springs, to
the mosque in Alice Springs.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
How are things going there?
Speaker 3 (13:05):
Look, I haven't heard much over the last couple of weeks.
I think things had improved. It was funny because I
did ask the minister a question about what she was
doing and her she hadn't been updated, she hadn't been
given the latest report on what wasn't happening, and that
(13:26):
was that there wasn't anything happening. And of course she
then had to scuttle around and try and develop the plan,
which is what the people from the mosque were wanting
from her, which he did in the twenty four hours
forty eight hours later. So hopefully they are implementing the
plan that the minister finally came up with, and that
(13:47):
there has been an improvement. I'll check up on it.
The mosque isn't in my electorate, but i've you know,
Muslim people live right across the whole of Alice Springs
and have left them alone for a few weeks to
just to see what happened.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
Ye. Fair enough, hey, Robin, Before I let you go,
you've also raised some concerns on the weekend around renal dialysis. Essentially,
you've said that it turns out the Northern Territory government's
now allocating twenty five point seven million dollars to build
a new renal dialysis unit at the Alice Springs Hospital.
But there's going to be no other services provided. Tell
(14:26):
me exactly what the go is here and what your
concerns are.
Speaker 3 (14:29):
So in twenty nineteen, the federal government allocated twenty five
point seven million dollars for a new outpatient department for
the Alice Springs Hospital and at the time they said
it would include a broad range of our patient services.
The our patients department of the Alice Springs Hospital is
old and ugly and inefficient and it needs upgrading. At
(14:52):
the same time, the hub for renal dialysis in Alice
Springs is located in the suburb of Gillen. In my dilector,
Ara Laurin, the flind Drive renal dialysis unit is what
was in need of an urgent upgrade years ago. So
the government has done it, pulled a bit of a
swifty year. They're now relocating renal dialysis from a community
(15:18):
health based setting into the Alice Springs Hospital, using that
money to build a renal dialysis unit and not a
broad ranged our patient department as a reg' right.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
Why is that what happened?
Speaker 1 (15:34):
Like in the investigating that you've done. What's been the
reason given, Aie.
Speaker 3 (15:38):
Well, I don't think the government, the Northern Territory government
wanted to stump up for the millions of dollars it
will cost to upgrade the flind Drive Community renal dialysis unit.
So they're saving money. This is a This is a
means of saving money. There's no other reason for it.
I mean, what this will mean, Katie, is that hundreds
of people every day that now go to the Flynn
(16:03):
Drive renal dialysis unit, where there's plenty of parking, plenty
of space surrounded by parks in the middle of a suburb,
will now be coming in and out of an already overcrowded,
overburdened Alice Springs Hospital, an acute hospital setting for renal dialysis.
It's just bad planning. It's a bad decision. It's about
(16:25):
the Northern Territory government trying to save money at our
outpatient department. For the rest of us will remain the same. Yeah,
these are remote Aboriginal people, mainly people from the Bush.
They don't want to go into the Alice Springs Hospital
for anything. They like going to Flint. It's sort of
out in the open.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
Well, it's comfortable.
Speaker 1 (16:47):
It's a different kind of environment, I would imagine, and
that is my understanding of why that different sort of
renal dialysis service has been provided.
Speaker 3 (16:58):
That's right, that's exactly where, all right, So I uncovered
that last week. I just happened to ask for a
briefing on what's going on. It's been four years the
funning was announced, and this is what I uncovered. We've
got to go digging to find out what this government's
really up to. Katie.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
Yes, certainly, do keep asking those questions, Robin. I think
that you know, we certainly need it, no doubt. Thank
you so much for your time this morning.
Speaker 3 (17:21):
As always my pleasure, Katie.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
Thank you
Now in what is some pretty significant news I think
over the weekend, the Office of the Director of Public
Prosecutions has reportedly spent more than two hundred and fifty
thousand dollars on their failed attempt to convict the Northern
Territory Children's Commissioner, Colleen Gwynn on an abuse of office charge.
That is according to a report by Matt Cunningham from
(00:20):
Sky News Now. In a written response to questions from
the Independent MLA Robin Lamley, the Office of the DPP
confirmed that it had spent two hundred and sixty three
thousand dollars on the case, which was thrown out of
court in March before the defense had presented any evidence.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
The Member Fararara.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Lun Robin Lamley joins me on the line from Alice
Springs this morning.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Good morning to you, Robin, Good morning Katie, Robin. Thanks
so much for your time.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
What questions did you ask about this situation with the
Children's Commissioner.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
I just asked two very simple questions. I find the
more impool they are, the better the more likely you
are to get a response at all. Yeah, it's a
bit hit and miss, but I just asked how much
was spent by the Department of Public Prosecutions on the
Gwynn case and for a breakdown. I don't have that
(01:16):
breakdown in front of me, Katie, but the response was
very clear. They spent an enormous amount of money, over
two hundred and sixty thousand dollars. But keep in mind
that doesn't include wages, So the actual cost of this
case that they tried to wage against Colin Gwynn was
(01:38):
probably more in the realm of half a million dollars.
I would say at a guest.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
To matter, Robin, is that something that you'll be asking
some further questions about during the estimates process, because as
you've just touched on there, I mean the police investigation,
it could have cost quite a substantial amount of money
and the wages.
Speaker 3 (01:59):
Look, try, it doesn't always go to plan in estimates,
but I will certainly try. I actually think, Katie, this
whole debarcle, this whole case, should be the subject of
an inquiry, an official inquiry. There's something very wrong about
what happened here. I haven't followed it particularly closely, but
(02:22):
there's enough information in the public realm to suggest that
this case stinks.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Yeah, I think there are still so many questions that
really remain outstanding at this point in time.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
But Robin, all the while, we've still got somebody.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Acting in the role, and plenty of people really wondering
what is going to be the future of the Children's Commissioner.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
Colin Gwynn.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
Well, yes, and I had the honor of working with
doctor Howard Barth years ago. He was our first Children's Commissioner.
I can't remember exactly when he started, but he was
in the job for around ten years, and he was
an academic. He was very clever, he was a specialist
in the area of child welfare, child mental health. He
(03:10):
really set the standard of this position very, very high.
And then we went to Colleen, who was not an
expert in children at all. Howard was a psychologist. And
now we are where we are, where we've got an
acting Children's Commissioner. I think she's a social worker. I
don't know that she's got any particular specialization in her area.
(03:35):
I just wonder about the whole status and integrity of
this very very important position as Children's Commissioner in a
jurisdiction known as the Northern Territory where we have the
highest rates of child abuse and neglect in the country,
the highest rates of out of home care in the country,
and we have for decades. This position is vital to
(03:58):
give us insight, understanding, and an extra layer of scrutiny
as to what the government and all the agencies that
are funded to look after children are doing. I don't
think the Office of Children of the Children's Commissioner is
functioning the way it was under doctor Howard Bath. Robert,
(04:19):
that's really really sad and concerning.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
Do you think that there needs to be some kind
of inquiry here?
Speaker 2 (04:24):
What needs to happen?
Speaker 3 (04:27):
Well, I think the government needs to show some leadership.
I think they need to probably do their own internal inquiry.
We need the best possible person in that position. I'm
not sure that this I can't think of her name Huck.
I think is Nicole Huck. I don't know much about her,
(04:48):
so I won't be overly critical, but I think we
need an expert like doctor Howard Bath was to lead
us in a really high level discussion about the welfare
of children in the Northern Territory. And we haven't had that, Katie,
for a long long time. That concerns me. We used
(05:10):
to have it. We haven't got it now, what the
hell's going on? The government is responsible for making sure
that our government departments function at the highest level, and
it includes this very important office of Children's the Children's Commissioner.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
Rob and I do want to move along because there has,
as we all know, been plenty of issues in Alice Springs.
They've been very well documented. Before I get into what
you are calling for, how has it been in Alice
over the recent days.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Look, crime is still a major problem. We are facing
a crime crisis. Things have improved, but crime is still
a major problem. We had crime stats come out a
few weeks ago for the twelve months ending at the
end of March twenty twenty three, and I did some
number crunch in Katie. We have in our springs twenty
(06:03):
percent more reported incidents of crime than in Darwin and
we have less than half the population. Yeah, that really
gives a bit of perspective of what we're facing here.
Things have improved slightly with the ban on takeaway alcohol
on Mondays and Tuesdays. There have been a significant difference
(06:26):
and improvement, but we have such a long way to go.
We can't sort of start celebrating and patting ourselves on
the back yet because our stats are still horrific compared
to in Australia pretty much.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
Well, this is the thing.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
So, Robin, I know that you have been advocating for
three things when it comes to alcohol policy for Alice
Springs moving forward. And I know that you know it's
not the answer to absolutely everything the alcohol situation, and
you know sorting that out, but it.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
Would go a long way. What are you advocating for exactly?
Speaker 3 (07:00):
Yes, Katie, you're right, and I put that in my
press release that I put out late last week that
alcohol restrictions are not a solution, but they give us
some peace and I think in a case like Alice
Springs that's really really important. Just a bit of a
reprieve for a couple of days a week is really important.
But look, I've come a long way. I started my
(07:22):
time as an elected member of this community back in
two thousand and four on council, so it's been almost
twenty years that I've been a part of the debate
on alcohol and alcohol strategies. So for me to come
to this point, Katie, is quite profound. It's in a
long road, but I support those two alcohol takeaway three
(07:45):
days a week in Alice Springs continuing permanently, if that's
the word you want to use, but into the future,
into the foreseeable future, that has made a difference. The
second thing I think we should be looking at is
on Sundays weirdly, and I can't even explain why there's
only two bottle shops in town that open in our
(08:07):
Springs on a Sunday, the Todd Tavern and the Gap View.
They are open from twelve to nine pm, which is
inconsistent with what we do pretty much every other day.
Normally we open it two and all the bottle shops
are open, and there's about ten of them. So I
think we should be looking at cutting the hours on
(08:27):
a Sunday, even halving them. It sounds reasonable to me.
But the third thing I'm advocating for is that the
town camps of Alice Springs remain permanently dry. We saw
the lifting of the Stronger Future alcohol bands from mid
the middle of last year to January this year, and
(08:49):
we saw absolute chaos in ten Domestic violence just was
out of control, and historically that the town camps have
been unfortunately the center of a lot of that violence
and they still are, so to put alcohol back into
those town camps under anti circumstance is a disaster. So
(09:12):
those three things, Katie, keep the two day a week
alcohol ban, take away alcohol ban in place, cut the
hours take away hours on a Sunday, and keep those
bands permanently in place for all the town camps.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Robin, what's the reaction been.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
I've become well, and you know, like I guess that
there would be people in Alice Springs who agree with you.
Whatever can sort of minimize the impacts that you've got
there around crime but also the effects of alcohol issues.
What's been the feedback from the people of Alice Springs,
but particularly from those town camps following on from you
sort of calling for this on Friday.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
Well, you don't hear much from the town camps. Tanguanjurra
Council is the council that represents the interests of the
town camps and the government's given them the contracts that
control the housing and the housing maintenance of the town camp.
So they're very closed and they don't do much media
at all. So I don't know what they're thinking. But
(10:14):
what I do know is that the government reimposed their restrictions,
the ban on alcohol in town camps back in February
last year, after the Prime Minister had to come into
town and tell them to do that. But it was
on the proviso that they could develop alcohol management plans
(10:39):
and have alcohol reinstated or the ability to drink alcohol
in those town camps reinstate, providing they came up with
alcohol management plans. I don't know what's going on. I
haven't heard anything. You don't hear much. They don't go
public internally. There might be a lot of work being done,
but I don't know, but I don't agree with that.
I think that the town camps, it's public housing in
(11:04):
certain areas, it's all public housing. It's government for housing.
They they're they're separate entities, but they're not. It's kind
of a weird setup. But you know, given the history
and the fact that they continue to be sadly hubs
of violence and alcohol fueled chaos and crime, rob you
(11:27):
can't ignore that. You can't ignore it is.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
What you're calling for.
Speaker 1 (11:31):
Race based policy.
Speaker 3 (11:35):
It is race based policy. But what most Aboriginal people,
particularly the leaders across the Northern territory said when those
when that stronger futures race based policy when those alcohol
restrictions are the stronger futures were lifted. That yes, it's
a race based policy, but it's it's under the banner
(11:55):
of positive discrimination. It's about looking after and caring for
vulnerable people living on those communities that will be harmed
by alcohol. So under the definition provided by Aboriginal leaders
at the time, there's race based policies that are okay
and race based policies that aren't okay. And I think,
(12:18):
you know, if you think about how alcohol negatively impacts
particularly women and children and the elderly, then I think
it's reasonable to keep those restrictions in place in the
town camps of Alice Springs. I'm not going to talk
about beyond Alla Springs from an Alice Springs based member
(12:39):
of Parliament. I'm only concerned really about the welfare of
the people of my community, and keeping those bands in
place will mean that people are a hell of a
lot safer.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
Robin.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
Before I let you go this morning, I know that
there'd been some issues that you had raised in parliament
last time. It sat around vandalism to Alice Springs, to
the mosque in Alice Springs.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
How are things going there?
Speaker 3 (13:05):
Look, I haven't heard much over the last couple of weeks.
I think things had improved. It was funny because I
did ask the minister a question about what she was
doing and her she hadn't been updated, she hadn't been
given the latest report on what wasn't happening, and that
(13:26):
was that there wasn't anything happening. And of course she
then had to scuttle around and try and develop the plan,
which is what the people from the mosque were wanting
from her, which he did in the twenty four hours
forty eight hours later. So hopefully they are implementing the
plan that the minister finally came up with, and that
(13:47):
there has been an improvement. I'll check up on it.
The mosque isn't in my electorate, but i've you know,
Muslim people live right across the whole of Alice Springs
and have left them alone for a few weeks to
just to see what happened.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
Ye. Fair enough, hey, Robin, Before I let you go,
you've also raised some concerns on the weekend around renal dialysis. Essentially,
you've said that it turns out the Northern Territory government's
now allocating twenty five point seven million dollars to build
a new renal dialysis unit at the Alice Springs Hospital.
But there's going to be no other services provided. Tell
(14:26):
me exactly what the go is here and what your
concerns are.
Speaker 3 (14:29):
So in twenty nineteen, the federal government allocated twenty five
point seven million dollars for a new outpatient department for
the Alice Springs Hospital and at the time they said
it would include a broad range of our patient services.
The our patients department of the Alice Springs Hospital is
old and ugly and inefficient and it needs upgrading. At
(14:52):
the same time, the hub for renal dialysis in Alice
Springs is located in the suburb of Gillen. In my dilector,
Ara Laurin, the flind Drive renal dialysis unit is what
was in need of an urgent upgrade years ago. So
the government has done it, pulled a bit of a
swifty year. They're now relocating renal dialysis from a community
(15:18):
health based setting into the Alice Springs Hospital, using that
money to build a renal dialysis unit and not a
broad ranged our patient department as a reg' right.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
Why is that what happened?
Speaker 1 (15:34):
Like in the investigating that you've done. What's been the
reason given, Aie.
Speaker 3 (15:38):
Well, I don't think the government, the Northern Territory government
wanted to stump up for the millions of dollars it
will cost to upgrade the flind Drive Community renal dialysis unit.
So they're saving money. This is a This is a
means of saving money. There's no other reason for it.
I mean, what this will mean, Katie, is that hundreds
of people every day that now go to the Flynn
(16:03):
Drive renal dialysis unit, where there's plenty of parking, plenty
of space surrounded by parks in the middle of a suburb,
will now be coming in and out of an already overcrowded,
overburdened Alice Springs Hospital, an acute hospital setting for renal dialysis.
It's just bad planning. It's a bad decision. It's about
(16:25):
the Northern Territory government trying to save money at our
outpatient department. For the rest of us will remain the same. Yeah,
these are remote Aboriginal people, mainly people from the Bush.
They don't want to go into the Alice Springs Hospital
for anything. They like going to Flint. It's sort of
out in the open.
Speaker 2 (16:45):
Well, it's comfortable.
Speaker 1 (16:47):
It's a different kind of environment, I would imagine, and
that is my understanding of why that different sort of
renal dialysis service has been provided.
Speaker 3 (16:58):
That's right, that's exactly where, all right, So I uncovered
that last week. I just happened to ask for a
briefing on what's going on. It's been four years the
funning was announced, and this is what I uncovered. We've
got to go digging to find out what this government's
really up to. Katie.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
Yes, certainly, do keep asking those questions, Robin. I think
that you know, we certainly need it, no doubt. Thank
you so much for your time this morning.
Speaker 3 (17:21):
As always my pleasure, Katie.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
Thank you
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