NT Opposition Leader Selena Uibo on St John Ambulance delayed response times, Yissa and Mulka By-election

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, as you heard on the show on Monday, we
know that St John Ambulance say that Darwin needs at
least seven to 10 ambulances on the road to prevent
potentially deadly delays. The CEO, Abigail Truen, had joined us
on the show and said that the service is struggling
with soaring demand, with ambulance call-ups around 40%. Well, they're

(00:20):
up around 40% in five years. Now, it follows the
coroner finding delays in treatment contributed to the deaths of
two elderly patients who waited hours for an ambulance. The
opposition leader, Selina Yubo, joins me on the line. Good morning, Selina.

Speaker 2 (00:35):
Good morning, Katie. Good morning, listeners.

Speaker 1 (00:38):
Thanks so much for your time this morning. Selina, how
concerned are you by these coronial findings that came out, well,
towards the end of last week?

Speaker 2 (00:48):
Firstly, I want to just give an appreciation to all
of our paramedics, our health workers, the intake callers, everyone
who is working to the best of their ability under
some very huge constraints in the Territory when it comes
to health. So important, Katie.

Speaker 1 (01:07):
Selina, we're just having some real issues with your phone line.
I don't know. I might just get you to move
around slightly and hopefully we'll be able to hear you again.

Speaker 2 (01:14):
Yeah, sorry. I have one bar of reception where I am.

Speaker 1 (01:20):
And obviously a terrible situation, as you've said. And yes,
we know that our paramedics and everybody within the ambulance
service working so bloody hard. But gee. You must be, like,
they must be heartbroken then when they know that a
call comes in. They know they need to get out
to somebody who is laying on the floor and in
need of that help and they just don't have the

(01:42):
resources to be able to do it.

Speaker 2 (01:45):
Yeah, I think that the emotional stress is just as
much as that professional stress there, Katie. I think you've
hit the nail on the head there. And having, you know,
people go into that profession because they want to save lives.
They go into that profession knowing it's going to be
a challenge, but the rewards and being able to help
fellow Territorians are huge and so it must just be

(02:05):
devastating when there are coronials and there are recommendations and
recommendations don't get taken up and then things stay the
same and it's not okay when we're talking about the
safety of those paramedics, the safety of the people, the
Territorians and the visitors alike who they're charged with saving
lives and then that extra pressure and the emotion and

(02:26):
the devastation that people feel When they don't feel they've
got everything they possibly have at their fingertips to do
the job to the best of their ability. So I
really do feel for those professionals and everyone who's in
those support roles, you know, the administration, those people who
are taking the calls and providing that really important critical information.

(02:49):
that could save lives and not feeling like they're able
to do so. It's devastating.

Speaker 1 (02:53):
Has this issue of delayed wait times for priority one patients,
is it something that has been raised with you as
the opposition leader?

Speaker 2 (03:03):
It has. And just on the weekend, Katie, I was
at the Pratt markets and a doctor came up and
spoke to me and said, they love what they do,
but they are in really, really bad shape at RDH
at the moment. And it no slight on any of
those amazing professionals and health workers and health staff. But
they're saying, you know, something really needs to be done

(03:25):
to get a better outcome for everyone. And they're really
concerned about the patients that they care for, about their
fellow medical colleagues as well. And, you know, that's someone
I didn't know who just came straight up to me
to speak to me about that particular issue. And, we've
heard a lot from our health worker unions that more
needs to be done. So we just need to see

(03:45):
it get done, Katie. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (03:46):
And look, there's a number of different areas, I think,
where things do need serious work when it comes to health.
But before I step away from the issues with St John,
the CEO, Abigail Truen, had said that they're working with
the Northern Territory Government on this new funding contract, which
needs to be finalised by December. Now, she did also
point to the fact that this is a legacy issue,

(04:07):
like they've not had a proper contract in place for
a very long time. But what do you think needs
to be included here? What do you think we need
to make sure St John get as part of these
contract negotiations?

Speaker 2 (04:22):
Well, Katie, we heard Steve Eddington, the Health Minister, say
back in May that the work around the contract was
being finalised. It's now September. We know the deadline's December.
But we haven't heard any new... structures or resources. One
of the key things, and you and I have spoken
about this many times, Katie, when we talk about health infrastructure,

(04:42):
that also extends to our AMBOs. We have some non-fit-for-purpose
stations that could be in better condition or could be
in better positions and locations. And I think that also
needs to be recognised in any new contract that happens
around ambulance services in the Northern Territory. And the assets,
as you mentioned earlier on. You know, what's the boost

(05:05):
for assets to be able to make sure that there's
more crews on the road and more people are being
attended to and that we have our paramedics feeling like
they are properly resourced.

Speaker 1 (05:15):
Look, I know there'll be some people listening this morning
and saying it is a legacy issue. Why did Labor
underfund St John and never finalise a contract?

Speaker 2 (05:24):
Yeah, Katie, we could have done a lot of things better.
And I think that that's the point. Like we've learnt
some of those mistakes. We don't need to see the
CLP repeat those mistakes now. We need to see them
get on with the job, listen to the professionals and
those experts in the field. And here we're talking about paramedics, doctors, nurses,
health staff. We need them to get on with the job.
We don't need them blaming labor two years ago, et cetera,

(05:46):
et cetera. We just need there to be a better environment.
catalyst around the change. And we need to see the
CLP governors taking this seriously and not fluffing around and
putting out some good press releases. We actually want to
see on the ground that those AMBOs have everything that
they need at their fingertips.

Speaker 1 (06:02):
Selina, there are a lot of issues at the moment
facing the health system. Do you believe that Steve Edgington's
up to the job?

Speaker 2 (06:09):
Well, it's two things that are becoming more and more
clear when I assert the CLP's rhetoric around health. One
is either Steve Edgington doesn't want to talk about health
or he's not allowed to talk about health or perhaps Katie,
a mixture of both. This is now becoming the number
one concern that people are raising with me and it's

(06:31):
in our towns, in our regional areas and also out
bush around medical services and health services and better resources.
This should be now at the top of the CLP's list.
What are they doing? How are they going to make
things better? And what are they going to support our
health workers with into the medium and the long-term future?
We keep seeing defensive and offensive reactions from the Health Minister,

(06:55):
Steve Eddington, as well as the Chief Minister, Leah Finocchiaro.
And as you and I know, Katie, people are sick
of it. They just want to see things getting better.
They want to see some changes happening. they're going to
make a difference and they want to see our health
workers supported better so that we can have better health
services across the NT. We don't need the politicking in health.
That's one thing any government should be getting along with.

(07:18):
But at the moment, we're seeing it as some very
strange blockage with the CLP, like they can't get their
head around health being a priority for Territorians. And I
think that's going to become even more dangerous for the
Territory in the next couple of years under the CLP.

Speaker 1 (07:32):
Well, I can't disagree with you there in terms of
issues around health and some of the concerns that are
being raised with us by listeners. I do think that
it is something that we need to spend some time
and money on, and that includes the federal government as well.
But I do need to move along and ask you
about the situation with Yissa. We've spoken about this on
numerous occasions. We've had the federal government on the show.

(07:53):
They've said that they're willing to split the $ 6. 5 million
price tag offered from Ausco and But given Northern Territory
Treasury has valued that side at half the price, is
it truly a good use of taxpayer funds to keep
it opened at that cost?

Speaker 2 (08:10):
I think that when the CLP have been whinging and
whining that the federal government doesn't do enough, now we
see a partnership offer on the table around the security
for people who are accessing service at YUSA and the
staff as well, Katie, who work at YUSA. they're not
taking up that deal and they're not putting out any

(08:32):
information or plans around what is going to happen to
that site. We know it's now pegged to be disbanded
by the end of this month. It's only a couple
of weeks away, Katie, so what's happening to these 400-plus
Territorians who are housed at Yissa and accessing really important
services at Yissa? What happens to the 20-plus staff who

(08:52):
will no longer have a job at the end of
this month? And why is the CLP so hell-bent on
disregarding this offer from the federal Labor government to see,
even if it was an interim short-term measure, to see
the services and the people accessing those services, Katie, at YSA,
supported and have that future around what is going to

(09:14):
happen in the long term. We're not hearing any of
that from the CLP.

Speaker 1 (09:17):
Look, there will definitely be people listening this morning, though, saying,
so what, we just spend an extra $ 3. 5 million of taxpayers' funds?
Because that's what a private company expects?

Speaker 2 (09:29):
Well, Katie, the CLP spent an extra $ 2 million to
buy a parcel of land to extend the Litchfield National Park.
And nobody even blinked an eye. We asked questions about that.
The asking price for that parcel of land was $ 5 million.
It was advertised as $ 5 million. For some reason, the
CLP government paid $ 7 million for that parcel of land.

(09:52):
And $ 2 million of taxpayers' money went in excess of
an asking price. I don't know anyone who would pay
extra for a house that's on the market and pay
an extra amount of money to buy something over the
asking price. But somehow the government did it. So we're
talking now about the security and safety of fellow Territorians

(10:12):
to be able to have certainty about where they're going
to live and what services they're going to be able
to access. I do not see this as a waste
of money when the government's job should be about lifting
up every Territorian and not dismissing the safety and the
security of fellow Territorians.

Speaker 1 (10:28):
All right, Selina Ubo, a couple of quick ones to
get through before I let you go. We know that, well,
Peter in Howard Springs just messaged through and he said, Hi, Katie,
can you please ask the Labor leader why they approved
data centres when in power and now they're against them?

Speaker 2 (10:44):
Oh, I think the data centres has been so interesting, Katie,
to hear the lack of openness and transparency around what
the plans are for the data centres under the CLP.
There was definitely a data centre built, as we know,
under our Labor government. It's there in the city. Most
people would know where it is. And there was processes

(11:06):
around that. I don't understand how large parcels of land
can be gifted to organise or to an industry, to
a business, without any planning around what the impact is
of water, of that land development. Didn't you guys do
that out of therapy?

Speaker 1 (11:21):
Didn't you guys do that out at Berrima for a
land development? There's been different times over the years where
this has happened, where land has been gifted, like Northcrest.
And I know they're different industries.

Speaker 2 (11:30):
But I know that from time to time. That was
the point I was going to make, Katie, was around
this is a new industry to the Territory. It's one
that should be looked at, but it's one that a
lot of the community is asking questions about what the
impact will be. We don't have those answers. The government
doesn't have those answers. And if they do, they're not
sharing it with Territorians. So they need to be very
clear and open around that because it is causing a

(11:53):
lot of angst. We've seen over 100 people at an
information session in the Member for Daly organised, Duran Young,
my colleague, in his electorate recently, and he's going to
hold some more. But there is huge concern about the
impact of water, resources and land development with unanswered questions.
If those answers could be... provided Katie then it might

(12:14):
provide a bit more certainty about what would look like
what that development of data centres will look like in
the Territory but at the moment we don't have anything
and that's really when people get concerned.

Speaker 1 (12:24):
Alright Opposition Leader I've got the Corrections Commissioner waiting for
me outside the studio so I am going to just
ask you one last quick one. I know that you're
on the road campaigning at the moment in the Malka
by-election it's this Saturday and What have you been hearing
on the ground as the electorate really heads to the polls?
Probably some of them already have. What are people saying

(12:45):
to you? What do they want to see?

Speaker 2 (12:47):
I think the transition of Nullarmboy is top and front
and centre, Katie, well and truly, particularly in Nullarmboy Township itself.
People are feeling like there is no definitive plan for
the future. of Noolamboi Township and the wording that I'm
hearing from people, and I used to represent Jabiru in
my first term, is we don't want to end up

(13:07):
like Jabiru, which is a pretty sort of sad kind
of statement for people to be saying this is a thriving, bustling,
really important part and region of the Northern Territory. And
they're feeling very let down that they don't know certainty.
Woolies is pulling out next year in Nullarmboy. There is
no food security plan from the NT government around what's

(13:28):
going to look like post-July next year in 2027. So
that's definitely front and centre of all the conversations I've
been having so far around that election. So, yeah, I'll
be in Nullarmboy on the Saturday. That's the final day
of voting there. to support you, McGraw, our great Labor candidate. And,
you know, that hopefully if he makes it over the line,

(13:51):
then that will be one of the main things that
he can advocate for as a local member.

Speaker 1 (13:54):
Well, we'll all be keeping a very close eye on things.
Selina Ubo, I'm away for the next couple of weeks,
so I'll catch up with you when I get back.

Speaker 2 (14:01):
I'll take care. Enjoy the leave, Katie. Thank you. Yeah,
hopefully you get some respite.

Speaker 1 (14:06):
Yeah, I'm hoping so as well. Thank you so much
for your time.

Speaker 2 (14:10):
I appreciate it. Take care, Katie. Talk to you soon. Thanks.