Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now Solomon MP, Luke Gosling's pushed to bring Aldi to Darwin.
It's going to reach another level from what I understand,
this month he's going to be heading overseas, I believe,
in an effort to change the supermarket giant's mind about
doing business in the Northern Territory. Now. I know there's
plenty of asayers out there at the moment who do
not believe the supermarket chain's going to head to the territory.
(00:22):
Aldi themselves saying that they've got no plans for the NT,
but nonetheless it looks as though mister Gosling is forging
ahead with his efforts to try and bring them here.
He joins me on the line right now, Good morning
to you, Luke.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
How are you Katie?
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Very well?
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Mate?
Speaker 1 (00:38):
What is next when it comes to Aldi? How are
you going to keep this fight alive?
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Yeahan, I just want to thank everyone who's been really positive.
There are a few naysays here or there, and they
just seem to be thinking that the logistics would mean
that Aldi wouldn't want to do it. But that's what
they said about Queensland as well, and they've opened all
the way up to Townsville, and cams up. There will
(01:09):
be next and you know, it's been a little bit
frustrating to work with LD Australia and that's why last
night I was chatting with the German Embassy they're a
German company, to try and get some connections over in
Germany at the head office. And what we really need
to do, I guess is have a conversation with the
(01:32):
Australian CEO. They're going to help me to get some
good contacts in there because we've just been blocked. You know,
a lot of companies they just have the blocking person
out the front. In this case it's a government affairs person.
But we've got a really compelling case. Not only is
the population in the Greater Darwin area more bigger than
(01:57):
many places on the East Coast where they've got eldi's,
but there's the ability to help up the track.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
And then it comes down to transport as well, though
doesn't it look like I guess that's the hard part
in those places in Queensland. For a lot of them,
they've been transporting transporting goods and it's more economically viable
for them.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
It's it's a tough ask.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
If it's if the numbers aren't adding up unless the
government's compared to subsidize.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
Katie, how do you reckon? From Brisbane they provide goods
into their stores as far north as Townshill. They put
them in trucks and send it the highway, which is
exactly what they'll do from Adelaide. And I guess what's
been really positive is the amount of people that are
keen for ALDI to get to the territory and Alice Springs.
(02:47):
There's an ability I'm talking to those that provide goods
groceries out to our communities. There's an ability for ALDI
to help us with our food security issues and the
high cost of goods out in the communities by working
with us to have some drop offs at our Springs
and Catherine so that we can feed cheaper, high quality
(03:11):
goods through the networks that already exist.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
But freckon, the numbers stack up.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
That aside, it's still worthwhile. Our market in Darwin and Palmerston,
the rural area is much bigger than some of their
other markets.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
I love to see it here. I'd love to see
it here, Luke.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
But the fact is, if it's not economically viable for
a business, I mean I just don't know how we're
going to make it happen.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
I want it to happen, but I just don't know how.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
I guess where we're trying to get to Kadie is
a position where we are able to pitch the locations
the distribution networks that are already in place because our
operators up here in industry, they haven't had those conversations
with our yet. So we just want them to be
open minded to the discussion. We want everyone to be
(04:05):
open minded to the discussion and not say that that
they're a logistics expert. Let's put the case to ALDI
and then they can at least make an informed decision.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
Well, I know that in Makai at the moment, I
know that you know that there are still hurdles there.
So I just want to ask, at the moment, have
you been able to have a chat with anyone from ALDI.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
At this point?
Speaker 2 (04:34):
As I said, I've been having conversations with the government
affairs person in order to get the pitch, and we've
been putting that pitch together as we meet with different
people from Darwin and Palmerston from industry to get the
pitch to the right person in ALDI that they are
renowned for putting up walls. It's very difficult to connect
(04:58):
with them. You can't have a phone conversation except through
the government affairs person, who hasn't been that helpful in
setting up that meeting so far. But that's why I'm
talking to other stakeholders, including the Australian German Chamber of Commerce,
because it may be that we need to take the pitch,
(05:18):
you know, in terms of corporate social responsibility. I think
there's a great win for ALDI here in helping us
to overcome some of the hurdles that we've seen in
getting low priced non perishable goods. So I'm not talking
about fresh food out to our remote communities, but certainly
people like Alpa really want to have that conversation with
(05:41):
ALDI about how they can get say twenty thirty forty
lines of goods that can then go out to the communities.
If we can make that pitch to ALDI, and it
may be that I have to go to the headquarters
in Germany to make that happen, then we can get
a fuller appreciation so that people aren't deciding that that
(06:02):
it's just not going to work. I remind like, who do.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
You thinks deciding that it's not going to work. Who
do you think is deciding that it's not going to work.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
There hasn't been a decision that it's not going to work.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
But you just said that.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
You just said you're trying to meet because there's others that.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
Aren't that are deciding that it's not going to work.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
I remind you and your listeners again, Katie, is the
good news that Queensland is They said, we have no
different but Mackay.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
Is so different, and even Brisbane and like Brisbane to
Townsvill was thirteen hundred kilometers Adelaide to Darwin's three thousand.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
Like it's just so different.
Speaker 1 (06:39):
And you know there's people messaging through this morning going Katie,
why is this what our federal member is focused on?
Could he be more focused on actually trying to do
other things to bring down the cost of living?
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Can I just thank thanks for the opportunity to remind
everyone that not only is everyone getting a tax card,
three hundred dollars of power bill cheap for medicine's free,
free tape, and the whole range of other things we're
doing on cost of living? Is that I just laugh,
Katie when people say, oh, the federal members should be
working on something else. As if I'm not continually working
(07:13):
on fifty things at least at any one time. This
is just one of them, and this just happens to
be really worthwhile because we'll look more choice.
Speaker 3 (07:25):
We all do. Absolutely, we do. Absolutely, we do.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Katie, if I can just get a word in, you're
not letting me.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
Talk, Luke. You actually sound quite rude this morning.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
If I'm honest with you, I'm trying to ask you
questions and you're not actually listening. You're talking over the
top of me. I'm asking you whether you've met with ALDI.
You said you haven't. I'm trying to ask you, how
are you going to meet with ALDI? And you won't
even let me get the opportunity to ask you that question.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
No, mate, is that the question? How are we going
to meet with.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
An Yeah, you don't even It sounds to me like
you're not able to.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
So what we're trying to do at the moment is
get the case together and get the meeting with ELDI
headquarters in Australia. What I'm finding is that there's blockers
that aren't enabling us to do that. So I'm going
I'm currently talking through different people in Germany who are
connected into the parent company, because it sounds like they're
(08:24):
quite centralized. But in MacKaye, if that's an example, Aldi
was saying they have no plans for McKay up until
a month before they announced that they're going to open
in MacKaye. So the fact that Aldi has no plans
at this time doesn't mean that there's not going to
be any plans. What I'm trying to do is meet
(08:46):
with the Aldi CEO so we can at least pitch
the benefits not only for our customers and the territorians,
but the benefits for Aldi. How does Officeworks manage to
have a presence in Darwin? How does McDonald's, How does Bunnings?
How do any of these large companies, And let's face it,
Aldi is a large company. They've all been able to
(09:09):
overcome the logistic barriers. We think that Aldi will be
able to overcome the logistic barriers. And a big part
of it is having the public behind us.
Speaker 3 (09:22):
That's not the.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
Only part of it. It's got to stack up for
a business. I want Aldi in the Northern Territory. I
want them to come to the Northern Territory. But you know,
if we're still putting together a business case and we've
got them locally in Australia not even wanting to meet
with us, I just don't know whether it's going to
happen or not. I hope you're able to make it happen.
Do not get me wrong. I hope you're able to
(09:43):
make it happen. But I think we've got to be
realistic about it as well, Luke. Before I let you go,
there has been a lot of discussion over the last
couple of weeks in the Northern Territory about NT legal
Aid having to cut services because of a lack of funding.
Is the Federal government prepared to meet with the Northern
Territory government over this and look at increasing their funding.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Yeah, I'm sure our Attorney General Mark Dreyfus is in
touch with Mary Claire Booth the oh. You know, he's
got a partnership agreement right between the Federal government and
the NT government and that runs out of the next
financial year. It's obvious that because the NT government seems
that with drawing to be withdrawing funding that they've agreed
(10:30):
to provide to legal aid centers, that legal aid centers
are going to have to reduce the services they're providing.
But we haven't at the federal level withdrawn any money
at all.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
Do you reckon, Do you reckon though, that there's more
money needed. Yeah, absolutely, it has. Absolutely, we've got those
questions to them. Well, look they're going to have to Jagger. Well,
let's be honest about it, mate.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
I'm not too.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
Sure why you're being so confrontational this morning, but let's
be honest about it. The government was in for the
last eight years. The Colp government's been in for a month,
and they've obviously discovered that the you know, the nt
legal aids in the situation that they're in now. The
perspective that I'm coming at this from is that victims
of crime are potentially going to have a situation where
(11:17):
cases are held up because people aren't able to get
legal representation. You know, even those that commit crimes are
entitled to legal representation. So however you look at er,
you know, we can all blame each other, we can
blame whoever. I can blame the former government if you'd
like me to, but we need to get to the
table and sort this out for.
Speaker 3 (11:37):
The betterment of all Northern Territorians.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
Well, the former Anti government didn't withdraw funding from legal No.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
One'm saying they withdrew funding, but we are saying there's
not enough funding.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
I think that is what they've got to answer. And
I'm sure that the Attorney General at the federal level
we're talking to the NTI a Journey General about any
withdrawals of funding with or funding that's happening at the
NT level and why that's happening. But also they'll need
to renegotiate a partnership for the next financial year. But
(12:09):
in the current financial year, within at the end of
June twenty twenty five, the federal government will provide the
funding that it's committed to provide. If there's a lack
of services due to the NT government withdrawing funding, that's
something that they have to answer. But I can see
already that they're trying to back away from the education
(12:31):
funding for our public schools around the territory. If the
NT government is going to withdraw funding from our public
schools again, they will be questions for the NT government
Minister for Education.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
Well, I hope not for education, I hope for justice
by the sounds of it. If it's if it is
indeed for NT legal aid or for the Attorney General
look for.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
The Attorney General cuts to education funding your questions for
the NT Minister for Education.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
I'm not sure how we went across there, but anyway,
Luke Gosling, thanks for your time this morning, much appreciated.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
We'll leave it there
Now Solomon MP, Luke Gosling's pushed to bring Aldi to Darwin.
It's going to reach another level from what I understand,
this month he's going to be heading overseas, I believe,
in an effort to change the supermarket giant's mind about
doing business in the Northern Territory. Now. I know there's
plenty of asayers out there at the moment who do
not believe the supermarket chain's going to head to the territory.
(00:22):
Aldi themselves saying that they've got no plans for the NT,
but nonetheless it looks as though mister Gosling is forging
ahead with his efforts to try and bring them here.
He joins me on the line right now, Good morning
to you, Luke.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
How are you Katie?
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Very well?
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Mate?
Speaker 1 (00:38):
What is next when it comes to Aldi? How are
you going to keep this fight alive?
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Yeahan, I just want to thank everyone who's been really positive.
There are a few naysays here or there, and they
just seem to be thinking that the logistics would mean
that Aldi wouldn't want to do it. But that's what
they said about Queensland as well, and they've opened all
the way up to Townsville, and cams up. There will
(01:09):
be next and you know, it's been a little bit
frustrating to work with LD Australia and that's why last
night I was chatting with the German Embassy they're a
German company, to try and get some connections over in
Germany at the head office. And what we really need
to do, I guess is have a conversation with the
(01:32):
Australian CEO. They're going to help me to get some
good contacts in there because we've just been blocked. You know,
a lot of companies they just have the blocking person
out the front. In this case it's a government affairs person.
But we've got a really compelling case. Not only is
the population in the Greater Darwin area more bigger than
(01:57):
many places on the East Coast where they've got eldi's,
but there's the ability to help up the track.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
And then it comes down to transport as well, though
doesn't it look like I guess that's the hard part
in those places in Queensland. For a lot of them,
they've been transporting transporting goods and it's more economically viable
for them.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
It's it's a tough ask.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
If it's if the numbers aren't adding up unless the
government's compared to subsidize.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
Katie, how do you reckon? From Brisbane they provide goods
into their stores as far north as Townshill. They put
them in trucks and send it the highway, which is
exactly what they'll do from Adelaide. And I guess what's
been really positive is the amount of people that are
keen for ALDI to get to the territory and Alice Springs.
(02:47):
There's an ability I'm talking to those that provide goods
groceries out to our communities. There's an ability for ALDI
to help us with our food security issues and the
high cost of goods out in the communities by working
with us to have some drop offs at our Springs
and Catherine so that we can feed cheaper, high quality
(03:11):
goods through the networks that already exist.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
But freckon, the numbers stack up.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
That aside, it's still worthwhile. Our market in Darwin and Palmerston,
the rural area is much bigger than some of their
other markets.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
I love to see it here. I'd love to see
it here, Luke.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
But the fact is, if it's not economically viable for
a business, I mean I just don't know how we're
going to make it happen.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
I want it to happen, but I just don't know how.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
I guess where we're trying to get to Kadie is
a position where we are able to pitch the locations
the distribution networks that are already in place because our
operators up here in industry, they haven't had those conversations
with our yet. So we just want them to be
open minded to the discussion. We want everyone to be
(04:05):
open minded to the discussion and not say that that
they're a logistics expert. Let's put the case to ALDI
and then they can at least make an informed decision.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
Well, I know that in Makai at the moment, I
know that you know that there are still hurdles there.
So I just want to ask, at the moment, have
you been able to have a chat with anyone from ALDI.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
At this point?
Speaker 2 (04:34):
As I said, I've been having conversations with the government
affairs person in order to get the pitch, and we've
been putting that pitch together as we meet with different
people from Darwin and Palmerston from industry to get the
pitch to the right person in ALDI that they are
renowned for putting up walls. It's very difficult to connect
(04:58):
with them. You can't have a phone conversation except through
the government affairs person, who hasn't been that helpful in
setting up that meeting so far. But that's why I'm
talking to other stakeholders, including the Australian German Chamber of Commerce,
because it may be that we need to take the pitch,
(05:18):
you know, in terms of corporate social responsibility. I think
there's a great win for ALDI here in helping us
to overcome some of the hurdles that we've seen in
getting low priced non perishable goods. So I'm not talking
about fresh food out to our remote communities, but certainly
people like Alpa really want to have that conversation with
(05:41):
ALDI about how they can get say twenty thirty forty
lines of goods that can then go out to the communities.
If we can make that pitch to ALDI, and it
may be that I have to go to the headquarters
in Germany to make that happen, then we can get
a fuller appreciation so that people aren't deciding that that
(06:02):
it's just not going to work. I remind like, who do.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
You thinks deciding that it's not going to work. Who
do you think is deciding that it's not going to work.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
There hasn't been a decision that it's not going to work.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
But you just said that.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
You just said you're trying to meet because there's others that.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
Aren't that are deciding that it's not going to work.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
I remind you and your listeners again, Katie, is the
good news that Queensland is They said, we have no
different but Mackay.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
Is so different, and even Brisbane and like Brisbane to
Townsvill was thirteen hundred kilometers Adelaide to Darwin's three thousand.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
Like it's just so different.
Speaker 1 (06:39):
And you know there's people messaging through this morning going Katie,
why is this what our federal member is focused on?
Could he be more focused on actually trying to do
other things to bring down the cost of living?
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Can I just thank thanks for the opportunity to remind
everyone that not only is everyone getting a tax card,
three hundred dollars of power bill cheap for medicine's free,
free tape, and the whole range of other things we're
doing on cost of living? Is that I just laugh,
Katie when people say, oh, the federal members should be
working on something else. As if I'm not continually working
(07:13):
on fifty things at least at any one time. This
is just one of them, and this just happens to
be really worthwhile because we'll look more choice.
Speaker 3 (07:25):
We all do. Absolutely, we do. Absolutely, we do.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Katie, if I can just get a word in, you're
not letting me.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
Talk, Luke. You actually sound quite rude this morning.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
If I'm honest with you, I'm trying to ask you
questions and you're not actually listening. You're talking over the
top of me. I'm asking you whether you've met with ALDI.
You said you haven't. I'm trying to ask you, how
are you going to meet with ALDI? And you won't
even let me get the opportunity to ask you that question.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
No, mate, is that the question? How are we going
to meet with.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
An Yeah, you don't even It sounds to me like
you're not able to.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
So what we're trying to do at the moment is
get the case together and get the meeting with ELDI
headquarters in Australia. What I'm finding is that there's blockers
that aren't enabling us to do that. So I'm going
I'm currently talking through different people in Germany who are
connected into the parent company, because it sounds like they're
(08:24):
quite centralized. But in MacKaye, if that's an example, Aldi
was saying they have no plans for McKay up until
a month before they announced that they're going to open
in MacKaye. So the fact that Aldi has no plans
at this time doesn't mean that there's not going to
be any plans. What I'm trying to do is meet
(08:46):
with the Aldi CEO so we can at least pitch
the benefits not only for our customers and the territorians,
but the benefits for Aldi. How does Officeworks manage to
have a presence in Darwin? How does McDonald's, How does Bunnings?
How do any of these large companies, And let's face it,
Aldi is a large company. They've all been able to
(09:09):
overcome the logistic barriers. We think that Aldi will be
able to overcome the logistic barriers. And a big part
of it is having the public behind us.
Speaker 3 (09:22):
That's not the.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
Only part of it. It's got to stack up for
a business. I want Aldi in the Northern Territory. I
want them to come to the Northern Territory. But you know,
if we're still putting together a business case and we've
got them locally in Australia not even wanting to meet
with us, I just don't know whether it's going to
happen or not. I hope you're able to make it happen.
Do not get me wrong. I hope you're able to
(09:43):
make it happen. But I think we've got to be
realistic about it as well, Luke. Before I let you go,
there has been a lot of discussion over the last
couple of weeks in the Northern Territory about NT legal
Aid having to cut services because of a lack of funding.
Is the Federal government prepared to meet with the Northern
Territory government over this and look at increasing their funding.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Yeah, I'm sure our Attorney General Mark Dreyfus is in
touch with Mary Claire Booth the oh. You know, he's
got a partnership agreement right between the Federal government and
the NT government and that runs out of the next
financial year. It's obvious that because the NT government seems
that with drawing to be withdrawing funding that they've agreed
(10:30):
to provide to legal aid centers, that legal aid centers
are going to have to reduce the services they're providing.
But we haven't at the federal level withdrawn any money
at all.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
Do you reckon, Do you reckon though, that there's more
money needed. Yeah, absolutely, it has. Absolutely, we've got those
questions to them. Well, look they're going to have to Jagger. Well,
let's be honest about it, mate.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
I'm not too.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
Sure why you're being so confrontational this morning, but let's
be honest about it. The government was in for the
last eight years. The Colp government's been in for a month,
and they've obviously discovered that the you know, the nt
legal aids in the situation that they're in now. The
perspective that I'm coming at this from is that victims
of crime are potentially going to have a situation where
(11:17):
cases are held up because people aren't able to get
legal representation. You know, even those that commit crimes are
entitled to legal representation. So however you look at er,
you know, we can all blame each other, we can
blame whoever. I can blame the former government if you'd
like me to, but we need to get to the
table and sort this out for.
Speaker 3 (11:37):
The betterment of all Northern Territorians.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
Well, the former Anti government didn't withdraw funding from legal No.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
One'm saying they withdrew funding, but we are saying there's
not enough funding.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
I think that is what they've got to answer. And
I'm sure that the Attorney General at the federal level
we're talking to the NTI a Journey General about any
withdrawals of funding with or funding that's happening at the
NT level and why that's happening. But also they'll need
to renegotiate a partnership for the next financial year. But
(12:09):
in the current financial year, within at the end of
June twenty twenty five, the federal government will provide the
funding that it's committed to provide. If there's a lack
of services due to the NT government withdrawing funding, that's
something that they have to answer. But I can see
already that they're trying to back away from the education
(12:31):
funding for our public schools around the territory. If the
NT government is going to withdraw funding from our public
schools again, they will be questions for the NT government
Minister for Education.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
Well, I hope not for education, I hope for justice
by the sounds of it. If it's if it is
indeed for NT legal aid or for the Attorney General
look for.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
The Attorney General cuts to education funding your questions for
the NT Minister for Education.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
I'm not sure how we went across there, but anyway,
Luke Gosling, thanks for your time this morning, much appreciated.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
We'll leave it there
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