The Week That Was - 12 June 2026

Katie Woolf was joined on the panel by Sky News' Matt Cunningham, Health Minister, Steve Edgington and Deputy Opposition Leader Dehran Young. 

The panel discussed crime, health issues including code yellow, funding and maternity services and estimates hearings. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Very good morning to you. It is indeed Friday morning.
It is time for the week that was, and pleased
to say that. Joining us in the studio this morning,
we have got from Sky News Matt Cunningham, Good morning, Mats,
morning Katy. We've got the Health Minister. He is also
the Minister for Housing and various other portfolio Steve Edgington,
Good morning to you, Stave, Good.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
Morning Katy, and good morning to all the listeners up here.

Speaker 1 (00:22):
In down And we've got the Deputy Opposition Leader and
the Member for Daily Durran Young, Good morning to you, Duran.

Speaker 3 (00:28):
Good morning Katie.

Speaker 1 (00:29):
Lovely to have you all in the studio. Tell you
what it's been a pretty busy week. I feel like
I say that every week, but in news coming through overnight,
and I did want to certainly talk about some of
the issues we're experiencing with crime. But in news coming
through overnight, well, Steve. In your area Tenant Creek, the
Northern Territory Police are calling for information after a death
in Tenant Creek overnight about one ten this morning, police

(00:53):
began receiving reports of a stabbing on Griggs Street. Offices
attended and located a twenty one year old man with
the last to his neck. He was declared to ceased
a short time later, a crime scene declared. Police are
aware there were witnesses to that incident, and efforts are
underway to identify and locate those witnesses. I've no doubt

(01:13):
that the people of Tenant pretty concerned about this situation.

Speaker 2 (01:17):
Certainly our Katie and look, my condolences go out to
all the family overnight. The death of a twenty one
year old is certainly sending shockwaves through the community. Intenant
Creek police are investigating and hopefully they'll get to the
bottom of this very quickly. But the word coming out
of Tenant Creek this morning is that sadness, sorrow, and

(01:41):
everyone's devastated by this.

Speaker 1 (01:43):
See do we know if this is related to the
unreas that's been happening over the last week. So I
know that earlier in the week, i'd certainly reported on
the fact that there'd been around one hundred people involved
in a disturbance at a town camp. A man was arrested, well,
actually there was three cars set on fire, was hospitalized
with serious injuries, and three men were arrested. We also

(02:04):
know that the NTAFL had made the decision to not
have four team four community teams come into town for
footy because they were worried that there could be some
further further issues.

Speaker 2 (02:18):
So certainly there has been some unrest in Tenant Creek. Look,
it's too early to say whether this is connected to
the ongoing fighting that's been going on in TenneT Creek,
but certainly four teams have now been suspended from the
AFL Barkley competition. Some of this unrest has been going
on for a while and some of it is spilled
in from some of the outlying communities. But at the moment,

(02:42):
my understanding is four teams suspended. They'll take that on
the chine hopefully and what we'll see is hopefully you
get to the bottom of all of these issues. But
what I do want to say is that what I
have seen is the police, the Patta Group which is
the senior elders in town, and many agentsies coming together
to try and deal with this issue. And this has

(03:03):
been what's worked well with the suspension of four teams
is that the relevant people have come together. They're trying
to find solutions and tackle these issues head on. So
all credit to those organizations, Steve, is.

Speaker 1 (03:16):
It a situation at the moment, you know what is
sort of going on? Has this just come up all
of a sudden, or has there been some issues bubbling
for a little while.

Speaker 2 (03:24):
Look, I think there's been some issues bubbling for a while,
and some of the remote communities in the Barkley there
has been some ongoing tension for quite some time. Look,
there was a death on the Stuart Highway I think
just before Christmas last year, a stolen motorcycle which a
young person passed away in that accident. But there's also
been other deaths throughout the Barkley and often this leads

(03:49):
to payback some tension between families, and what we have
seen is that it has spilled over into Tenant Creek.
But all of the agencies are working together to work
with the parties involved and bring some mediation to the
table to get these parties working together and stop the violence.
And this is very important and great workers I said,
between police, average and organizations and the elders all working

(04:12):
together to try and deal with this well.

Speaker 1 (04:14):
And it sounds like they're probably going to need to
because the last thing that anybody wants to see then
is a payback situation or a situation like we saw
in Alice Springs where there was rioting outside the hospital
or other concerns. But look, you know, even a few
weeks ago we'd reported on the fact that the speedway
club the canteen had been set on fire. There's been
a few things happening out there. Unfortunately, you know, Tenant

(04:35):
Creek not the only location around the Northern Territory at
the moment that's grappling with some issues with crime. I mean,
it's something that we've spoken about on this show for years,
really like let's be blunt about it, and we know
that there has indeed been this or this operation underway
called Operation venturer Out in Palmerston that seems like it's
a good thing. But the issues in Palmerston even were

(04:58):
brought to life earlier this wee week when we had
a footy coach and former political candidate take to social
media to say that he'd found himself doing something that
no junior coach should ever have to do, and that
was keeping a group of under tens focused on training
while police responded to a man who had allegedly been
stabbed nearby and ran on to the Molden Oval seeking

(05:20):
help now. I spoke to Caleb Burke on the show
earlier in the week. He said, I stood there looking
at this group of kids who just wanted to play rugby,
and I couldn't help but think, how on earth are
we tolerating this?

Speaker 4 (05:31):
It is not normal.

Speaker 1 (05:33):
Now, the Northern Territory Police did confirm that they'd received
a report that a sixteen year old male had had
a significant hand injury, believed to be from an altercation
with a known person. His personal items were stolen as well.
Police attended the scene, and I will say that Caleb
Burke had said to us on the show that the
police had done a phenomenal job in that situation. I

(05:54):
think it's safe to say they do in all of
these pretty dangerous situations. But what is going on at
the moment, Like, are we seeing a reflare up of issues?
I mean that even around near the NT News where
your office sits, there is a like there's a lot
of people there that appeared to be intoxicated, leaving a
big amount of mess. I'm not too sure what's happening or.

Speaker 5 (06:15):
Not just at the NT News either, Katie and I
do wonder whether I mean, there've been the issues that
have been highlighted in Parmesan and the police and business
owners and residents there have been talking about for quite
a while. But I wonder now where the Operation Ventura
in Palmerston is then pushing some of these people now
into Darwin because they know that the police operations going
on in Palmerston.

Speaker 1 (06:36):
I did put that to the police commissioner earlier in
the week. He said that he didn't believe that was
the case, but we have got an influx of people
in town at the moment with the dry season. However,
you look at it though, whether that is the case
or it isn't, there's still concerns, right.

Speaker 5 (06:50):
And I think, you know, the concern is when there's
so much alcohol involved and so many of those issues involved,
what then can follow? So you know, there has been
a large group that's been camped outside the NT News
for maybe two weeks now. I just went out there
and had a bit of a look the other day
because they're there at night, they're not generally there during

(07:12):
the day. But there were a lot of cheap wine bottles,
a lot of cask wine. I wonder whether the removal
of the floor price is having an impact when it
comes to those sort of things, but spirit bottles as well,
you know, a lot of rubbish, et cetera, et cetera.
Most concerningly for me though, when I went out there
and had to look because in the tree there there
was a plastic container that was full of kids toys,

(07:35):
and so, you know, you just just worry when there's
really young kids who are living in that kind of situation,
what can follow. And it's not just at the NT news,
you know, at Nightcliff where I live at the moment,
I haven't seen it this.

Speaker 2 (07:46):
Bad for a long long time.

Speaker 5 (07:48):
Lots of groups just sitting on footpaths, sitting in streets
out in the front of people's houses. Two doors down
from my house, there's been a group, the group of
probably ten that have just been sitting there drinking at
night on the footpath outside someone's house. You call the police,
they basically don't have the resources to get there. You
call Raikia Nation, they rarely answer the phone. You report

(08:08):
it on the app. Sometimes I'll come past. The only
people I've really seen come past and engage with these
people have been from the Security Guard, the Public Law
Response Unit. But then I was talking to one of
the guys from them, and he said, well, we can come,
we can tip out their alcohol, but we don't have
the power to move them on or do anything else.
So really they can only come and engage at that level. So,
you know, I haven't seen it this bad for a

(08:29):
long time.

Speaker 2 (08:30):
When it comes to something.

Speaker 1 (08:31):
Steve, what happened to some of those things that the
government had spoken about, like the mandatory you know, what
do you call it? Mandatory alcohol treatment and a few
things like that.

Speaker 2 (08:39):
Yeah, so mandatory alcohol all of those issues are being
worked through at the moment. How we focus on that,
but there's a range of measures in place, and you know,
we've given police additional powers to deal with the public drinking, nuisance,
public drinking. All of those powers are there for the
police to do that. You know, we've only got to
look at the operation out Palmerston, the Operation Ventura. The

(09:02):
police are out there working right across the board. They've
done over twelve hundred patrols, sixty five arrests, seventeen weapons sees,
one hundred leaders of alcohol tipped out and band drinker
orders being issued to people. But what we are seeing
at the moment, you know, there's been a significant flooding
event in many parts of the Northern territory, So there's
still people that have been displaced. There's some people that

(09:24):
have gone back to communities, there's some people that don't
want to go back to their community. So there's a
whole range of issues. But what we do need to
do is continue to work together right across the board
and that involves police, Larochean Nation, all of those patrols
that Matt spoke about. We need people working together to
deal with this issue and help people to get back to.

Speaker 4 (09:42):
These Do you reckon that's the case.

Speaker 1 (09:44):
Do you think that we've still got here people here
that are from some of the flood evacuated evacuated there.

Speaker 3 (09:50):
Is Well, there are definitely people that are still displaced
from their homes. But I don't know if we can
blame the flight evacuees on this and heard that before
or seen any evidence of that either. You know, many
people in my elector tore staying down in Bachelor. There's
been a cohort of people going home in a staged approach.

(10:12):
But going back to the question, you know, this is
a challenge for any government that's in place. We know
we need long term investment to see that change, and
I think we see across the board with all governments
really short term policy announcements that have you know, around
electoral cycles, so that's three or four years. I think
we need to get serious and actually look at all

(10:33):
levels of government, look at that long term investment, whether
we look at dragon alcohol programs, rehabilitation, preventative measures, and
just be honest with ourselves and just take that approach
because at the end of the day, it's impacting the
community right across the Northern Territory.

Speaker 6 (10:47):
Well.

Speaker 1 (10:47):
And one of the other things that we've spoken about
this week is the you know, the moving or the
getting rid of I suppose the Nightcliffe police station they're
in Nightcliffe that I mean, you've just spoken about all
the issues being experienced in Nightcliffe.

Speaker 4 (11:00):
What do you make of that?

Speaker 5 (11:01):
Well, you know, I think I think that the important
thing to remember, Katie is before that taj Mahal was built,
right there was there was a police station in Nightcliffe,
and there was a police station in Nightcliffe and it
had operational vans that drove around the area patrolling that area.
So when when that grand building was constructed as part

(11:23):
of an overhaul of the whole area. That police station
that was once there, Now it was probably inadequate for
a number of reasons. You know, it was basically right
next to where the library is, and it was no
different as a building to what the library is. But
it was a police station in Nightcliff that had operational
police working from it that was removed, right and then
we got this grand building that never had any operational

(11:45):
police in it. And then and the other thing that's
important to remember in this discussion, so we're moving. You know,
the fire is in there now, which which makes sense
given it was a glorified office building, as the Chief
Minister described that, it wasn't an operational police station. It
didn't have sales. It was just you know, it's a debarcle.

(12:05):
But when it was built, it was built as part
of an almost fifty million dollar overhaul of the entire
area that included the construction of a lot of concentrated
public housing in that area. Now, the reason that the
justification for building all of that public housing in that
area was that there was going to be a police
station right in the middle.

Speaker 4 (12:23):
Of its Now you've got.

Speaker 5 (12:25):
The public housing and all the issues that come with
that without the police station, the twenty four to seven
police station that was supposed to be there. And so,
you know, I just feel so sorry for all of
the business owners in that Nightcliff shopping area who were
just putting up with all sorts of outrageous behavior at
all times a day, and the police presence that they'd

(12:46):
been promised sits there as a giant shrine to government mismanagement.

Speaker 1 (12:52):
Well, and look, all the while, you know, we're talking
about some of the issues that are occurring obviously when
it comes to crime, and we've long spoken about those.

Speaker 4 (12:59):
I will say that.

Speaker 1 (13:00):
But the one thing, you know, I was asked about
this on the weekend. You know, somebody had sort of
said to me, Wilfy, why do you think this government's
not copying as much stick about the crime at the
moment as what the former government was. And I will say,
the one thing I think that this government is doing
relatively well is not gas lighting us when it comes
to the crime. You know, like at least they're acknowledging
that there's an issue, and at least they're trying a

(13:21):
lot of people feel to work through some of those
issues and making some changes. But there's been some questions
about some of those changes.

Speaker 4 (13:28):
Throughout this week.

Speaker 1 (13:29):
I know that the ABC indeed reporting a report by
Olivana Lathoris that the Northern Territory Attorney General says that
crime is trending down in the territory, citing police statistics
one year on from changes that made community safety the
paramount consideration for courts when granting bail. Others have cast
out on the effectiveness of the changes in the wake

(13:49):
of a string of recent tragedies and escalating violence in
remote areas.

Speaker 4 (13:53):
Now again, I will.

Speaker 1 (13:55):
Say, I know people are questioning whether these changes are
making an impact or not. I guess I would say,
what do we want to do? Go back to the
way that things were before and have people bailed even
after they have indeed been involved in really quite dangerous
crimes for them to be able to commit crimes again,
I don't know, Katie.

Speaker 2 (14:15):
You know these are long term you know, progress being
put in place now and you know we've always said
that there's a lot more to do, but to what
we are seeing is a downward trend when it comes
to crime. You know, house breakings are down twenty three percent.
You know, under labor robberies rose to two hundred and

(14:35):
forty two percent, but they've fallen eleven percent under the CP.
Commercial break ins rose thirty eight percent under labor, but
they fall into thirty two percent under the COLP, but
motor vehicle theft rows eight percent. Under the COLP, it's
fallen twenty three percent. So what we are seeing is progress.
Is there more to be done, of course there is,

(14:56):
and what we are doing is tackling those issues head
on right across the board when it comes to dealing
with the offending, dealing with bail issues. But at the
same time, there's a lot of long standing root cause issues.
We know that there's a lack of housing, there's been
a lack of investment out Bush for year on year
out But even looking at I think.

Speaker 5 (15:16):
That's a good I think that's a good point to make,
is that like, yeah, the early data is promising on
the crime, but if you want to if you want
to talk about the issues we're dealing now with the
number of itinerants in town and the anti social behavior
and everything else, and the Nightcliff Police Station almost fits
into this argument because it's a symbol of the misdirected

(15:37):
investment of anti governments and others. And you two will
know better than me representing Bush electorates, but there hasn't
been the investment that's been needed in remote communities when
it comes to policing in particular, but when it comes
to other issues as well, and when you have communities
that are unsafe and have the other issues associated with them.
And I think this is a federal government issue as well,

(15:58):
because if we're ever going to fix it, that's where
the real power lies. You can't blame these people for
not wanting to go back to these communities.

Speaker 2 (16:06):
Well, this is the issue, is that people do want
to come into town. That lack of investment at Bush
twelve million, as Matt said on a Nightcliff police station,
which wasn't used as a police station. You know, there's
what two and a half million used on what they
called a shade structure on Kavanagh Street, but it's actually shadeless.
You know, these are the examples of money being.

Speaker 4 (16:26):
There's any shade on there now, there's no.

Speaker 2 (16:28):
Doubt and there never has been. But this is these
are examples of money that could have been invested differently,
because when we want to tackle root causes, well, there's
a lot of.

Speaker 1 (16:38):
Issues there and that's obviously you know, they are decisions
that have been made there, unfortunately we've all got to
live with.

Speaker 4 (16:44):
But now you guys.

Speaker 1 (16:45):
Are in the decision making seat and so people expect
you to be making good one.

Speaker 2 (16:48):
And that's why we're putting fire and Emergency services into Nightcliffe.
We're going to use that building for a specific purpose,
not as a wide elephant. We're going to use that
as the headquarters for foreign emergency services and deliver something
that Labor failed to run.

Speaker 4 (17:03):
What did you make of it at all?

Speaker 1 (17:04):
I know you're asking a lot of questions about this
throughout estimates this week as well.

Speaker 3 (17:08):
Yeah, no, that's right. And you know there's parts of
what Steve just said that I agree with, with the
lack of investment out Bush, and I think we've seen
that over many governments. But I know Steve was down
in Barunga to meet with all four land councils, the
executive councils down there, and I know that they've they
said to him that they're seeing a lack of investment

(17:28):
in Bush since they've got into government and that they're
feeling a little bit forgotten. And I can sympathize with
Steve give credit where it's due. I know he gets
out and about, but I don't think he gets the
support or the backing from his ministers unfortunately to be
able to see that investment out Bush. We've seen a
number of policy changes, you know, and I'll give the
example of some of the local decision making agreements that

(17:50):
were put in place. They were off the back of
initiatives at community wanted to see, so better investment in education, housing, health, roads,
a number of issues depending what they want. Then a
new government comes in, the CLP government come in, they
scrap those local decision making agreements. I've got people in
my community. I've got I've got my communities. Excuse me,

(18:12):
let me finish. I've got my communities coming to me
saying why aren't these being extended? Some of them are
coming up to the end of the end of this month.
They were long term investments.

Speaker 1 (18:23):
I mean, is there a way that they get ten
years seem is it something that the government's going to get.

Speaker 2 (18:27):
Let's be very clear. Coming into government, we said that
we would honor all twenty signed local decision making agreements.
I think what the Member for Daily is talking about
is the lack of investment, and of course when it
comes to lack of investment, what we're seeing as a
lack of investment from the federal government. Because when it
comes to housing, I can get on, I can talk

(18:50):
I can talk about the health budget.

Speaker 1 (18:52):
Will we'll still talk about that after, We'll talk about
that afterwards.

Speaker 2 (18:55):
It's a lot of under investment. But when it comes
to housing, there is a four billion dollar agreement. But
anyone that thinks that that's going to change homelessness across
the Northern Territory in ten years, they're kidding himself. We
have twelve times a national average when it comes to homelessness.
So when I hear Matt talk about people were in
the streets, this is an example. Twelve times a national

(19:16):
average when it comes to homelessness. Four billion dollars fantastic investment,
but it's not going to change the level of homelessness
significantly over the next ten years. So four billion great.
What we need is probably double or triple that in vestment.

Speaker 5 (19:31):
I don't know how much research has done on this though,
But are these people who are homeless or are these
people who have a home somewhere else who choose to
come in to Darwin or where our springs or tenant
creek for whatever other reason.

Speaker 2 (19:42):
Homelessness is measured across a number of things. And when
it comes to overcrowding in houses where there's overcrowding, people
sleeping rough fits in with the term of homelessness because
they don't have an actual bed or a bedroom to
sleep in. So so all of this overcrowding contributes to
the being twelve times the national average when it comes
to homelessness. This is where we need big investment from
the federal gal.

Speaker 1 (20:03):
We're going to have to take a very quick break.
You are listening to Mix one O four nine's three sixty.

Speaker 4 (20:07):
It is the week that was. You are listening to
the week that was.

Speaker 1 (20:11):
And if you've just joined us in the studio this morning,
we've got Durhan Young, we've got Steve Edgington, and we've
got Matt Cunningham. Now, one of the issues that we've
been speaking a lot about in recent months is indeed
health and a code yellow was declared a little earlier
this week at the Royal Darwin and Palmerston Regional Hospitals
as pressure mounts on intensive care, critical care and emergency departments.

(20:33):
Now we spoke to doctor John Zorbish yesterday about some
of those issues. He said that, yeah, you know, there
continues to be concerns, of course, but always we always
go back to funding right And we also know that
Royal Darwin Hospital is also dealing with a surge in
patient presentations that followed on from last weekend, that long weekend.

(20:54):
Now some elective surgeries requiring ICU support had to be postponed,
while health author already urging people with non life threatening
conditions to use Darwin and Palmeston Urgent Care Clinic. Steve,
first off, are we still in a code yellow?

Speaker 2 (21:07):
Yes we are. We're still in the code yellow. And Katie,
I went out there to the Royal Dalen Hospital Wednesday
morning so I could see for myself what pressures our
frontline staff are facing. And I'll tell you what getting
out there with the doctor didya Palmer and having a
look at the emergency department there was very confronting.

Speaker 4 (21:28):
I must say, why.

Speaker 2 (21:30):
Just jam packed full of people, but the amount of
staff in there working diligently, their commitment on the front line,
the professionalism that I saw and saw firsthand. Even Saint
John's had a couple of ambulances ramped there as well.
Beds were full. Staff were absolutely run off their feet.
But the work that's going on there is incredible at

(21:53):
the moment that yes, they are in code yellow and
what we are doing over the longer term, these have
been long standing issues for a while.

Speaker 5 (21:59):
So how many people were in need and how long
were they waiting?

Speaker 2 (22:03):
Look, the wait times were anywhere between three six and
I did hear an example of somebody waiting eight hours.
But I did go out to the hospital on Sunday
as well just to have a look at the new
thirty two bed war that will be coming online very soon.
There's also the twenty four bed mental health facility as well,
so that's going to bring on more beds. But the
USUS throwing good money after bad here, though, aren't we Well,

(22:26):
it's what we do have to do is look at
long term and short term measures, and we can't ignore
the short term issues that we're seeing at at the moment.

Speaker 1 (22:35):
So we're putting a band aid on a bullet hole
essentially to try and sort things out there.

Speaker 2 (22:40):
We're doing everything we can at the moment to tackle
these issues. But we have seen an influx over the
last week. The front line staff absolutely flat out at
the moment and I really want to throw out my
thanks to the work that you're doing because what I
saw on Wednesday, I hadn't seen that before. And just
to see so many staff and the work that they
were doing. To talk firsthand with Didier around what's going

(23:03):
on there was very enlightening for me as the health men, where.

Speaker 5 (23:06):
Are you at with a new hospital? Are you putting
your hand up and saying to the Feds, yeah, we want,
we need a new hospital.

Speaker 2 (23:11):
What we need to do is do the work that's needed.
And when it comes to the Royal Darne Hospital. We've
got assets all over the Northern Territory and we briefly
spoke about the lack of investment just before, but we've
got aging health assets right across the Northern Territory in
remote areas all of our hospitals. We've got any year
ninety year old hospital in Catherine which is sitting in
a flood zone. Alice Springs Hospital is also extremely busy there.

(23:35):
We've got Tenant Creek and of course out it Gove
as well. But what we need to do is some
strategic work around what does our investment look like right
across the Northern Territory when it comes to health.

Speaker 1 (23:46):
Honestly, I started that how we are ever going to
get to a new hospital when we can't even get
ten million dollars from the federal government for the maternity ward.
I mean earlier this week, I was left even more
confused than what I was weeks ago.

Speaker 2 (23:58):
Looktie, you know we've been asking for ten million to
assist with the upgrade of the attorney ward. Look, I
haven't said too much, but we did also ask the
federal government for fifteen million dollars to assist in the planning,
the design work and engineering to look at a new
hospital as well. So there was no ten million dollars
for maternity. There was no fifteen million dollars to assist

(24:19):
us in preparing for a new hospital in the Northern Territory.
You know that ten million dollars and I hear from you,
the member for Solomon. Look, I checked the mal every day,
but there has been no ten million dollars. And I
don't know how much time I can waste checking the
marl every day. But there's certainly been no money. There's

(24:40):
been many promises, but certainly the ten million dollars hasn't
been delivered.

Speaker 5 (24:44):
The fifteen million to plan for a new hospital. Isn't
that something we should pay for ourselves. I mean, we've
got an extra four hundred million in GST revenue last
financial year. Can't we dip into that new use some
of that?

Speaker 2 (24:54):
What we do the plan for we have what we
have done at the moment. We've got Chris Hosking, so
we will be doing that work within the health budget.
All of that planning is underway. Chris Hosking will lead
that work looking at what infrastructure, what assets we need
over the next five, ten, fifteen and twenty years here
in the Northern Territory. But what we have is aging

(25:15):
assets right across the Northern Anty.

Speaker 5 (25:18):
Paike said a couple of weeks ago. He said, you
should go to the FEDS and ask for them to
give to you the land at Berrima, the defense land
at Berrima that is being sectioned. Is that something that
you're looking at.

Speaker 2 (25:27):
Look, there's a whole range of things at the moment.
We've just put Chris Hosking in there. There's a range
of things that need to be looked at around firstly,
the planning location. All of those sorts of things there's
a lot of work that needs to be done when
it comes to that. We know that there's land right
across different parts of the top end that would be
potentially useful. But what we need to do is look

(25:48):
at our assets right across the board, because if we
don't have the infrastructure and the services out Bush, what
we will see is what we were just talking about before,
we'll see more people coming into larger center. So we
need to have an overall plan that's going to deliver
for all territories and that's what we're working towards all right.

Speaker 1 (26:06):
Steve Marian from Simbarney Researcher's messaged in.

Speaker 4 (26:10):
She said, good morning, Katie.

Speaker 1 (26:11):
Can you please ask the minister and the opposition if
they can work collaboratively with their federal Northern Territory colleagues
to secure that ten million dollars for maternity services. Luke
Gosling stated quite clearly on your show that it is coming,
but I get the impression we will need to actively
seek to secure that funding as a united team. I mean,

(26:32):
I've got you both in here right now. Is that
something you're prepared to do?

Speaker 2 (26:35):
What I would say, Katie is we are working together
and Look, I've had some you though.

Speaker 4 (26:39):
Because it sort of seems like one person saying one thing.

Speaker 5 (26:42):
The other working together about as well as my teen
teenage kids, I'd have.

Speaker 2 (26:45):
To say when I say working together, we are. I
work very closely with the Federal Minister Mark Butler, have
had plenty of conversations with him, just.

Speaker 1 (26:56):
Asking for the ten mill Steve, why didn't he come
good with us? Even get him on the show to
ask him ourself?

Speaker 2 (27:02):
I try to ask Mark, but listening to the commentary
from the Member for Solomon, he seems to be telling
us that this ten million dollars yet I haven't heard
that from the federal minister. But look, Christmas is also
coming as well, so I'm not holding up too much hopefully.

Speaker 1 (27:16):
So essentially what we heard then from the Assistant Minister
a little bit earlier in the week, she basically said
to us that there's sixty seven additional million dollars to
the Northern Territory government for health. So really, you know,
she didn't say it out right, but I could certainly
read between the lines. It seemed as though she was saying, well,
can't you find the ten million from there?

Speaker 2 (27:39):
I didn't hear the conversation. But when I hear the
figures of around sixty sixty six or sixty seven million,
what it tells to me is that that might actually
form part of the National Health Reform Agreement. To what
we have done is, you know, the Chief Minister worked
with the federal government. We signed. It's roughly about a
billion dollars over the next five years, but there is
a small top up in there. When I say a

(28:00):
top up to bring it up to around two hundred
million per year, there is a sum of about sixty
sixty seven million for those small states and territories to
look to pick up.

Speaker 4 (28:11):
I pointed this out to her as well.

Speaker 1 (28:12):
Tasmania got to bail out right after the private maternity
ward flopped there. They got to bail out then. You know,
I can't remember exactly how much money it was, but
they did. We're still waiting, you know, to try and
get some additional funding to get our own maternity wards
so nothing you know, not the private hospital, but to
get our own maternity ward to a point where women

(28:32):
are not you know, laboring in hallways, where they're not
worried about whether the air CON's working. And I get
it that some work on that's already happened. But you know,
surely we're able to get to a situation where everybody
can work together to.

Speaker 4 (28:46):
Make this happen.

Speaker 2 (28:46):
Katie, let me just say that when we've negotiated a
billion over the next five years, what it does is
take we're still at the very bottom when it comes
to national funding, Commonwealth funding. We're at the very bottom
of all of the states and territories. So we're getting
roughly about thirty two percent, yeah, Commonwealth contribution rate for

(29:07):
our National Health Reform agreement every other state, but on
average they're getting roughly about thirty You.

Speaker 1 (29:13):
Did have a really good talk to John's Orbis about
this yesterday as well. He explained it in Layman's terms.
For me to understand, it was like me not getting
as much paid as much as my colleagues doing the
exact same job in another state.

Speaker 2 (29:24):
How can we be so far underfunded? Forty million short
for age care, ninety five million short for remote primary
health care, we're paying for top end retrievals here, we're
still two hundred million short there, and we're the lowest
funded even though we've got the most complex health needs
in Austray.

Speaker 1 (29:42):
What do you make of it all. Do we need
Luke Gosling to just you know, write us a check.
I don't know if he's got the authority to do that.

Speaker 3 (29:49):
Yeah, well look my understanding is, you know, at the
time that it was put forward and proposed the ten
million dollars, there wasn't really a business case behind in
the federal government. We're waiting for that. But you know,
I do welcome any new funding here in the Northern
Territory when it comes to our health services. And I
do pick up you know that Leaf and Nokia on
the first of June was on your show. She was,

(30:11):
you know, spooking that's this is the biggest ever health budget.
And Katie yourself arks whether you know they could fund
them maternity services within that budget that the Anti government
that have had announced, and she said they could definitely
do it. They could definitely do it. That's exactly what
she said. So there is funding there that Leif and
Nokia said they could actually provide maternity services right now

(30:33):
through the funding that's been allocated from two Anti Health
from the Minister Steve Edgington.

Speaker 1 (30:40):
Look, I've got to say at the moment, and I
will talk more as well about about another change that's
happened with midwives overnight. But I've got to say, at
the moment, it feels as though we're in a situation
with this maternity ward right where Steve, you're saying, we've
asked for the money from the feed, so we've put
a good business case forward. You know, we've got the
federal government essentially not coming forward with that money. But

(31:02):
you know, Labor saying that you've already got the budget
there so you can actually do it. All the while
women of the Northern Territory, families of the Northern Territory
are wondering if this is ever going to happen.

Speaker 4 (31:13):
While I'm going to be really blunt about it, politics
is being played.

Speaker 1 (31:16):
That's how it seems to me. You know, how important
are the women of the Northern Territory. I asked out
of the federal government. I asked out of the Northern
Territory government. And I get it that some people listening
will be like, oh, come on, Wolfe, stop talking about
maternity services. We're falling short in lots of different areas,
but we will lose families to other states if women
do not feel that they can have their babies here

(31:38):
in the way that you know that they want.

Speaker 2 (31:41):
To and Katie, that's the critical issue. You know, there
has been ongoing discussions around the private maternity and this
is one of the areas when we talk about maternity.
Yes we talk about the Royal da In Hospital, but
it's important to talk about the private hospital in Darwin.
So we have had discussions with proponents. Do know is
that the receivers mcgrh nickel are looking at two bids

(32:05):
at the moment, having recently met with mcgrah nickel. They've
got those two bids. They're working through those with due diligence.

Speaker 4 (32:11):
At the moment, are you able to say who?

Speaker 2 (32:13):
Well, I think it's Public Calvary and the Purpose Scope
which is the redesigned Hellscope into a not for profit model.
So there's two bids before the.

Speaker 5 (32:24):
Moment which under those bids, but they just reopened the
maternity service that used to These.

Speaker 2 (32:30):
Are the conversations that we have with the providers. But
of course they're in a difficult position as well because
they can't commit to anything until they know who's got
the bid.

Speaker 4 (32:40):
Who's one.

Speaker 6 (32:42):
Is it a.

Speaker 1 (32:43):
Situation though as well where the Northern Territory government has
to approve the license of either of those two providers.
So can you make it part of the license that
you're only going to win it if you provide maternity.

Speaker 2 (32:54):
There's a whole range of things being looked at, the
legal requirements for the license or all of those issues
are being looked at it at the moment. We've made
it clear to both the bidders that we're looking at
all options. But what we have done is made it
very clear that we expect maternity services to be returned
to the private hospital and dat We've made our position
very clear. We know that we hear this from business people,

(33:17):
we hear it from defense, we hear it from everybody
in the top end that has private health insurance. They
want to be able to give birth in the raw
in the private hospital. Look, we're committed to it. We've
made our position clear and we're hoping to hear more so.

Speaker 4 (33:33):
Steve.

Speaker 1 (33:34):
Another development overnight, we know Midwives in Darwin had taken
to social media to say, with a very heavy heart,
I want to share that Midwives in Darwin will be
pausing its private midware free services following a year of
unforeseen and significant challenges. This has been an incredibly difficult
decision and not one ever imagined that they ever imagined

(33:55):
having to make. Now my understanding is that they were
there was an issue there with nursing and Midwiffree in
terms of them I thought being investigated.

Speaker 4 (34:04):
They had received.

Speaker 1 (34:05):
Money, was my understanding of it, from the Northern Territory government.

Speaker 4 (34:10):
So is that money being paid back? What's the go.

Speaker 2 (34:14):
Look, I'm waiting for more detail about the actual contract,
but what I would say is that not one service
was delivered under that contract, and importantly it was one
dollar delivered, not that I'm aware of. No, and nothing commenced.
Nothing was delivered, No services were provided to expectant mothers
in the top end here. So the issues around the

(34:35):
contract are being managed by Anti Health. They manage the contracts.
I don't they're working with the midwives of Darwin as
we speak. That contract, in my understanding, has never been commenced,
but it will be terminated.

Speaker 1 (34:50):
And so they've never they haven't been paid any money
like they haven't they haven't been given any money anything
like that.

Speaker 2 (34:58):
My understanding is that they're may have been some money
provided as an upfront payment. I don't know the exact figures.

Speaker 4 (35:04):
So I have to pay that back.

Speaker 2 (35:06):
I'm not sure. I'll need to speak with NT Health
around what the conditions of the actual commencing contract was,
what negotiations were underway, all of those details about the
actual contractor with entry.

Speaker 4 (35:18):
I've got a little bit.

Speaker 2 (35:19):
I don't manage procurement and I don't manage it.

Speaker 4 (35:21):
I've got a bit of info here.

Speaker 1 (35:22):
It says NT Health acknowledgers that Midwives in Darwin has
paused its service for the delivery of private maternity services
in Darwin following NT Health's discontinuation of contracted services with
c Marks Proprietary Limited on the third of June. Following
a review of that contract, NT Health determined that the
service as originally intended could not be delivered in line

(35:44):
with the required governance and safety expectations. NT Health followed
all required procurement processes. However, information that led to the
discontinuation of the contract was not known at the time
of the contract being signed and became available later. Health
provides or they remain committed to providing safe maternity services

(36:04):
for all women and their families. Look, I think it
still leaves some questions.

Speaker 5 (36:10):
What due diligence was done before and then they say
all the procurement processes were followed, well, you know, not
followed particularly well. I suspect what due diligence was done
before that contract was awarded.

Speaker 2 (36:20):
You know, these are the points that I've raised with
nt Health. I've asked the very same questions. I'm expecting
a full briefing on that very soon. But as you
just read out, CODI, there is some work going on.
There has been work going on between ant Health and
the midwives. That contracts has been terminal, that I should
say as of early journe But the crux of the

(36:43):
issue is, Codie, no services were delivered. There has been
some issues raised through the media. They've been worked through
and ANTI Health will finalize the details of that contract.

Speaker 4 (36:53):
And I guess my concern is was any money paid.

Speaker 5 (36:55):
Money was paid by the sound of it, and it'd
be nice to know how much it's going to be
paid back.

Speaker 1 (37:00):
Getting that details, We're going to have to take a
really quick break. You are listening to Mix one O
four nine's three sixty. It is the week that was.
You are listening to three sixty now, it is the
week that was. If you've just joined us, we've had
a very busy morning so far in the studio is
Matt Cunningham, Steve Edgington and Duran Young. Now we know
that their budget estimates so well and truly underway. It

(37:20):
is indeed the opportunity for the Opposition and the Independence
to question the government on their budget and to try
and get to the bottom of where money is being
spent and where we're falling short. Yesterday, well there was
quite a few questions asked of the Corrections Minister, Jared Maylee,
the Opposition issuing a statement saying that well that the
government couldn't point to one rehabilitation program that was achieving

(37:43):
an outcome in the Correction's portfolio and Jared Maylee could
not provide any recidivism data for young people in youth Justice. Duran,
it sounds like it was a fairly eventful day yesterday,
was it?

Speaker 3 (37:58):
To some degree? Stuments always is. I think people like
to tune in, and you know, I sat in on
part of that period where Jared Mayley was put before
us as the Corrections Minister, and you know one thing
that I got out of it, and I was shocked
to hear that this is what he quoted. He said,
we are not just doing more rehabilitation, we're doing it

(38:19):
better than When I pressed him on, well, what actual
programs are you delivering for the community of whatever, he
came back with a sentence to a service. So then
I asked the question, well, how many people have been
referred to the sentence of a service?

Speaker 2 (38:32):
Zero?

Speaker 3 (38:32):
So how can you do it better when you don't
actually have any referrals given to? A sentence to a service?
Was quite concerning for me. He tried to brush it off.

Speaker 4 (38:41):
The reason why nobody's done it, like, did he give
any reason?

Speaker 3 (38:46):
He couldn't really explain. I mean, there are many organizations
in what are quite frustrated that they aren't being referred
to be able to do these rehabilitation programs because it
is important that they used to be at capacity and
even a waiting list, and they'll many organizations out there
will say some of them are quite successful with some

(39:09):
young people out there. So I just find it concerning
that in some communities and one of the largest communities
in the Northern Territory that's literally there's a funded program
but no one's actually been access to service it.

Speaker 1 (39:21):
I mean, it's look one of the things that I
think most people expect is that when somebody goes to jail,
when they are in corrections, that they don't come out
better offenders, they come out better humans. And I think
it's really very important their rehabilitation programs are delivered, but
also other qualifications are able to be obtained while you
are in corrections. Whether it's whether we're talking about youths,

(39:42):
whether we're talking about adults.

Speaker 2 (39:45):
Well, definitely, Katie and I think when we look at
what happens in prisons, I think it's very important to
look at this holistically, particularly when it comes to early
intervention prevention. What are we doing with youth offenders around
early intervention prevention? What do we do once they are
but what do we do when people get to the
very last resort and that's the sentence of imprisonment. What

(40:06):
we have been doing, of course is working with the
prisoners through building those skills within the correctional system, but
also sentence to a job. There's been a range of things.
We have the work programs, the Barkley Work Camp has
been delivering some really good programs through there and we
are looking at well we've moved forward with the delivery
of the work camp in Catherine, and these are very

(40:27):
important projects because what it will do is give opportunities
to prisoners that are serving sentences to get out in
the community, participate in work programs right across the board,
and that that's going to build those skills that people
need when they exit prison. We know that when people
exit prison there's a whole range of challenges as well

(40:48):
that need to be dealt with, and talking about those
long standing issues around housing and health, what we need
to do is to ensure when people leave prison they're
going back to a better environment. Yes, we want to
have them skilled, but we want to make sure they're
going back to a better environment.

Speaker 5 (41:04):
These are some of the long standing what you're saying
one hundred percent right. But I think the issue Duran's
raising is that it's not happening. And I guess the
question is why isn't that happening? Well, I think, well,
zero people are doing sentenced to a service.

Speaker 2 (41:15):
Then that that what what what the member for Daily
has raised is one example. I didn't hear the particular
conversation about, and I don't know the ins and outs
of the reasons behind that, but what I would say
is overall, things are changing through the system. We've seen
that with a reduction in crime. When it comes to recidivism,
there's a whole range of things the commission.

Speaker 3 (41:36):
That's not necessarily true. The Commissioner actually stated that there's
no evidence to provide that on programs are actually working
for young people, and he was quite honest with that,
because it is so it still is so high, and
you know, it's a challenge for all governments. I'm not
just having a crack here. He was honest about it.
We do need to look at programs that actually work.
We actually need people in those programs for a start.

(41:58):
That's probably some of the reason why they can't measure
because there's no one, hardly anyone in those programs around
what are in the case of what there's literally no
one in the programs. So that he came out and
stated that, you know, they aren't able to measure it
to see if these programs are working. Well, look, he
said they aren't working.

Speaker 1 (42:15):
I think it's a big concern. It is something that
certainly needs to be worked upon. We want to make
sure that when people come out of prison they are
coming out with some skills, with some qualifications. But look,
it's not the only area where there's been a lot
of questions asked. I know that one of the focuses
was certainly on the flood recovery following on from what
has been a horrific wet season for a lot of Territorians.

(42:35):
Now there were questions asked about the Daily River and
the response out there, but we ourselves throughout the week
as well caught up with Wayne Buckley, the general manager
of Green River Aboriginal Corporation. I want to just take
you to a little bit of what he said earlier
in the week.

Speaker 6 (42:51):
Take a listen, and what's really important is we're not
asking for a handout, we're asking for a feat at
the table. So in a disaster recovery, if you look
at the website the Emergency Management Agency e REPTOR and
the strategy, it talks really strongly about community led recovery.
And whilst the MTG has done a sterling job and

(43:12):
really led the rest of the community in terms of
particularly the Aboriginal orcs haven't been consulted with, but we
started communicating with govern on the seventeenth of March. That
was to the Prime Minister, that's the Chief Minister. The
thirtieth of March, the Prime Minister, the thirty first of March,
Senator McCarthy, the second of April Minister McBain, Minister Senator McCarthy,

(43:38):
Marion Scrimger and Duran MLA. The nineteenth of May we're
back to Senator McCarthy and the twenty sixth of May.
You've got submission that we submitted that we finally give
up to government. We would have preferred to have a
response from somebody in government, either tier of government. That's
a bit more proactive, I guess in terms.

Speaker 1 (43:59):
So that is of that discussion yesterday with Wayne. I mean,
he's talking about the fact that the community do want
to get in there, they want to be able to
clean up. They've got issues at the moment with not
being able to use the rec center, not being able
to use the seniors center. You know, he's pointing to
the fact that they've written to both tiers of government
and they're really not getting, you know, the response that
they need nor deserve. I mean, I think there's money

(44:21):
there right Steve, like, not just from the Northern Territory government,
but from the federal government.

Speaker 2 (44:25):
What's going on, Well, I'm not sure how much the
federal government's put on the table. We've made it very
clear from the outset. We've put one hundred million dollars
on the table when it comes to flood recovery. So
when it comes to Naiyu and listening to Green River,
what they did so was that the and he's done
a sterling job. And I agree what we have seen
on the ground today.

Speaker 1 (44:44):
I said, though he's written to everybody, including the Chief Minister,
the you know obviously the Federal Minister, the Prime Minister.
They've written to everybody and they're really not getting much
feedback back.

Speaker 2 (44:54):
Well, what we've done is put one hundred million on
the table. We've also given the Vic Daly Region Council
of four hundred thousand dollars advance to also assist with
the clean up. It to Nayu as well. So we've
put money on the table where we've committed money to
road repairs, the Williana road repairs in total, I think
about three million dollars just for road repairs. But the

(45:16):
work is happening when we talk about those assets that
mister Buckley is talking about. What we do need to
do is continue to work together right across the board.

Speaker 1 (45:24):
But there's certainly been a lot of pointing at the
Northern Territory government, but it does sound as though even
the community saying the feeds need to come to the
table as well.

Speaker 3 (45:33):
Yeah, look, I speak to Wanne on a weekly basis.
I've attended some of those meetings and that it is
frustrating when the Northern Territory government and the federal government
aren't sitting at the table together to actually work through it.
But the reality is, and we all know this, for
state or territory governments to actually access the disaster relief funding,
it is the responsibility of the Northern Territory government to

(45:54):
do those assessments, to put the request to Minister McBain
to actually open up access to that funding agreement. And
I give the example down in adding queens And when
they had similar disasters at the same time we had
here in Northern Territory, they put those requests into the
federal government the state government and they got that funding
that's needed. So it is the responsibility.

Speaker 4 (46:16):
Saying they have not put those requests in at the moment.

Speaker 3 (46:19):
Well, I'm not in government and that's a question for
the government because my thing is it's got it, and
you know what, I'll be honest. If there's an issue
with the process, we need to review that and if
it's slowing it down, if that's the process. But right now,
how it stands, the responsibility sits with the Northern Territory Gal.

Speaker 1 (46:36):
And I don't know exactly what's going on here, but
what I know in the last six months for me,
when it came to the maternity ward, for example, we
were being told that, you know, that the Northern Territory
government needed to put in the leg work to be
able to then get that funding. They did the leg work,
it never happened. So I just don't know where we're
falling short here or what the goal is.

Speaker 4 (46:54):
I mean, Matt, what are you reckon?

Speaker 5 (46:55):
I just think it's a case of the Northern Territory
being left behind because we were sort of out of sight,
out of mind. If that was happening in Queensland, then
it'd be you know, probably all over breakfast TV and
the Prime Minister would be there in five minutes.

Speaker 6 (47:07):
You know.

Speaker 5 (47:07):
Has the PM come to visit Catherine or into the
Daily River region since the disastrous flooding that happened there,
I don't think so. I know, when I was down
in Catherine when those floods were absolutely devastating the town.
There there were people saying, well, we'd love to see
him come here to see what we're going through, and
we haven't seen it. And I think it's because you know,
there's two federal seats in the Northern Territory and you know.

Speaker 1 (47:29):
Which is really bloody disappointing. You know, you think to yourself,
why don't the people of the Daily or any other
flood ravaged area like Catherine, you know, other areas that
have been absolutely impacted, why are they not afforded the
same as what any other part of Australia is Like
it really gets.

Speaker 3 (47:46):
Up my nose, yeah, and it is frustrating. I mean
it's we need the Northern Territory government to put those
requests through the Minister's office and I'm hoping they have,
but I haven't seen any evidence of it so far
to actually look at to open up that disaster relief fund.
Now when we go to one hundred million dollars flood
recovery money. In April this year, Ken Davies, the director

(48:11):
for the flood Recovery promised twenty million dollars for the
Daily River region out of that fund. That was what
was reported in the nten years now. When I asked
the Chief Minister and estimates last week, she she said,
oh no, that money comes not out of that fund.
It comes elsewhere. So there's a lack of communication and
coordination within between the Chief Minister, her ministers, within the agency.

(48:34):
And that's been the big frustration on the ground is
the communication and with the response to this recovery. And
I'm hearing it time and time again from businesses, from residents,
from partialists. It's very frustrating for them because they're the
ones that impacted and it's their livelihood that has been impacted.
At the end of the day because of lack of coordination, we.

Speaker 1 (48:54):
Are unfortunately going to have to go to a really
quick break. Steve, we're about a minute away from team.

Speaker 2 (48:59):
I just need to cut of the chase. The NT
has put one hundred million on the table. If the
federal government is sitting around talking about bureaucracy, why don't
they put some money on the table and get on
with the job rather than talking about bureaucracy and paperwork,
put some money on the table. Just like the Northern
You're going to.

Speaker 1 (49:15):
Have to take a very quick break. You are listening
to Mix one oh four point nine's three sixty.

Speaker 4 (49:20):
We've got to pay the bill.

Speaker 1 (49:21):
You are listening to Mix one oh four nine's three sixty.

Speaker 4 (49:24):
Well, we are going to have to wrap up.

Speaker 1 (49:26):
It's been a very busy morning in here for the
week that was Matt Cunningham, as always, thank you very
much for your time.

Speaker 5 (49:32):
Thanks Katie. I'll get the feeling that Steve and Duran
are just going to hang around for the next half
an hour and continue arguing the point about it I
responsible for this money or wan?

Speaker 4 (49:40):
Why not stick around if you want to, we can
keep the show going.

Speaker 2 (49:43):
Well, I think, Katie.

Speaker 4 (49:46):
Break, I could solve the problems of the Northern Territory.

Speaker 2 (49:48):
If you're fronting, I'm fronting. Yes, It's next week, so
I'm sure Duran will have some more questions for me.

Speaker 1 (49:53):
I reckoning Well, Duran, stick around, Matt and I'll give
you a feel if you want.

Speaker 2 (49:56):
Yes, questions for discoverment.

Speaker 3 (49:59):
But we just want to give a shout out to
the Bury Springs Clinic. I was out there for Perinatal
Mental Health Center opening, which is fantastic for expecting and
new parents that are dealing with anxiety and depression. They've
now got a service provided in the rural area and
it's so exciting. It's straight across from our electured office.
But it was a wonderful event to be out this week.

Speaker 4 (50:20):
Yeah, good stuff.

Speaker 1 (50:21):
Well, Dran, thank you so much for your time. Steve Eedgington,
always good to have you on the show from Tenant Creek.

Speaker 2 (50:26):
Thank you, Thanks Coty, and good morning to all the listeners.

Speaker 1 (50:28):
Thank you all so much. You are listening to Mix
one O four nine's three sixty. Well that was the
week that was