The Week That Was – 7th July 2023

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
It is time for the week that was, and in
the studio with us this morning, we've got the opposition
the Deputy Opposition Leader, Jered Mayley.

Speaker 2 (00:06):
Good morning, Good morning, Katie, Good morning listeners.

Speaker 1 (00:08):
We've got the independent member for goid A Kesier Purreic
Good morning to your Kezier.

Speaker 3 (00:13):
Morning, Katy, morning bush people.

Speaker 1 (00:15):
And we've got the member for Fanny Bay, Labour's member
for Fatny Bay, Brent Potter, Good morning to your Brents morning.

Speaker 4 (00:19):
Katie morning. This is and to parents at home with kids.

Speaker 1 (00:23):
Surviving well, a big shout out to some of my
friends who's been who have been helping to keep my children.

Speaker 5 (00:30):
Entertained as well this week.

Speaker 1 (00:32):
And yes, Patrick's probably in the car with them right now,
so everybody juggling.

Speaker 5 (00:36):
The children, tormenting kids exactly.

Speaker 1 (00:40):
Now let's move into something that was very serious in
fact from overnight. Unfortunately, news has broken that a woman's
been stabbed to death in a community near Mattaaranka. The
forty five year old was allegedly stabbed in the back
by man in the Julkmingen community at about eleven twenty
last night. Despite the efforts of first bonders, she passed

(01:01):
away an hour later, a forty six year old man
has been arrested and is assisting police with their investigations. Obviously,
this is a very active investigation situation, I would imagine,
and a lot of work being done by the Northern
Territory Police. But a terrible example of some of the
violence that we do see around the Northern Territory.

Speaker 2 (01:21):
I got to say, this is I think the fifth
stabbing in the last two or three months, and really
enough's enough. The crime is out of controller and don't
matter where you are in a charity. You can be
an Our Springs, Tenant Creek, Catherine or Darwin or Palmerston
and you know it's stabbing is the old Win someone's
passed away and it's very unfortunate. But the other crime
that goes on, who will come into your houses, People
stealing your cars, breaking in their businesses, people just threatening

(01:44):
all across in I've just been driving with the kid's
actually school holidays and there were so many tourists driving
up and down the highway. These people come up they
need a good experience. If they come up here and
see crime or any social behavior, they go away and
tell their friends, don't bother going the Darwen author Teritory
and we're a tourism place. We need toughs to come here,
we need to spend their money. And it's just a
complete failure by the labor government in relation to this.

(02:05):
And it just affects bottom line because all the businesses
out there, the moms and dads, it's just enough enough.
Something's got to happen.

Speaker 3 (02:13):
It's and tragedy, without a doubt, tragedy all around, and
sadly a person's lost their life and perhaps not sadly
the other person is going to spend the rest of
their life in jail. But it comes back to the
use of the knives. A reallyment really needs to have
a look at classifying knives differently or making carrying of

(02:34):
a knife on your person and offense. If they're looking
at it under the various bits of legislation and the
twenty million reviews that they're undertaking, well that's good, but
come out and talk about it because something needs to
be done very seriously about carrying of knives. I get
it this was in a community, so probably near houses
or whatever, but it's all linked. It has a strong
message has to go out. A campaign has to go

(02:55):
out to say no knives, no knives at all.

Speaker 4 (02:58):
So I think we've tragic first and foremost, and I
don't think anyone in this room disagrees with that. We
obviously disagree with the approach. You know, the CLP have
a particular position on what should and shouldn't happen, and
we have a different one. I think the chief was
on the show a couple of weeks ago. Cadi absolutely
committed to make the bail review completely public, so everyone
will get to see the information that we got. We'll
get to see what the experts opinions are in this space.

(03:20):
You know, we've just seen the coronials wrapping up in
relation to a DV murder that occurred there. Dv's the
absolute scourge we have in our communities. It doesn't matter
whether it's a knife, a bottle of rock, if it's
physical violence, dv's the scourge and we need to do
more on it. But unfortunately, you know, putting more people
away every time it happens doesn't change their behavior. Some
people have to go to jail absolutely, like you said, keys,

(03:42):
and they need to go for a long time in
the courts need to understand the community sent them on this.
Like at the end of the day, police do an
amazing job. They locked it. They've got this guy. He'll
go before the court. Now we need to see strong
penalties for the person for what they've done.

Speaker 2 (03:53):
But this is a classic example. We want to bring
you just down, you know, using rocks and all that
sort of stuff. The government had an opportunity to make
an offensive weapon for no bail, but they didn't do that.
They actually put it in prohibitive Weapon and Control Weapon,
which is a very very detailed sitt and it talks
about ninjas, stars and spears and stuff like that, where
the SELP we try to make an amendment that if
you use a weapon and no matter what it is,

(04:14):
it can be a screwdriver or a broken bottle, and
you committed a crime, you should have no bail. The
starting point is a presumption or not bail. And Brent
has mentioned those things, you know, the rocks, the weapons
that people out there are using, and the government had
an opportunity to tighten it up and then go and
do the review and I fully accept that, but right
now it didn't do it. They limited to this controlled
and prohibited weapons and people out there now are getting

(04:36):
hurt because the label government is.

Speaker 4 (04:38):
Soft on crime. So let's clarify here very clearly for
the listeners. Jared, and you're a lawyer, so you know
exactly what you're saying. If a person has committed and
been convicted of offense in the last ten years and
they go and do it, they use a rock for
a DV assault or a serious aggravator assault, their presumption
starts against bail. So to say that we've made it
easy for people to get bail as a complete lie.
You know exactly how that system works. Now, if the

(04:59):
bail review comes back and says, you know, changes to presumptions,
changes to weapons, giving police officers ability to warn people
in certain districts at certain times, like they're doing Queensland,
we'll tell you what. I'll be standing there and supporting it.
I've said that from day dot. But we need to
make sure that we don't get any unintended consequences from
a policy change that doesn't change the actual event.

Speaker 2 (05:17):
I mean, the situation that we are in the territory
is right now. Don't given a bit of a break.
The only limited to such as small class weapons, what
it should have been if you committed assaulting year weapons
anything at all and then go do your review on
fully EXCT and bring it up. Territory doesn't feel safe
in their own homes from.

Speaker 4 (05:35):
Police, says offensive weapons covers that already.

Speaker 1 (05:37):
The situation that we have got at the moment, though,
as well, is that we have obviously got serious concerns
around knife crime and we need to see some pretty
urgent change. I think when it comes to knife crime,
I don't know exactly what the answers are, but it
is what the community expects and it's what the community wants.
But we have also got incredibly serious issues when it
comes to domestic violence.

Speaker 5 (05:57):
Now, I don't know what's gone on last night.

Speaker 1 (06:00):
I'm not going to you know, I'm not going to
say it's a domestic violence incident because I'm not one
hundred percent sure. But what I will say is that
we know throughout this week the coroner has of course
heard that there's been a one hundred and seventeen percent
increase in DV reports to police in the past ten years,
and it is projected that the increase it's going to
increase by another seventy three percent in the next decade.

(06:23):
That's according to a report on the ABC AS that
coronial inquest into the deaths of four Aboriginal women continues
in Darwin now. The inquiry has also repeatedly heard evidence
about relentless pressure on emergency and community services to handle
an overwhelming number of requests for help, with the Northern
territory suffering the highest rates of domestic violence in the country.

Speaker 5 (06:46):
Now, the coroner has described.

Speaker 1 (06:47):
The situation as a crisis, with domestic and family violence
response systems facing a complete breakdown because of being overwhelmed. Now,
I actually don't think that anybody in the community is
surprised to hear that our emergency services center is totally overwhelmed.
I think that anybody that's probably called in the last
year or so would actually understand that themselves, because we've

(07:10):
had a lot of people contact us here at the
show to say, Katie, you know, I'm not criticizing the
police in any way, but I've called the emergency line
to try and get somebody to go out after a
break in or you know, in some of these situations
we're talking about very serious domestic violencete and you're not
able to get anyone out there.

Speaker 2 (07:28):
And don't forget the police. Their own survey with a
feel unsupported by police, not enough for resources ninety eight
percent of people, you know, police.

Speaker 3 (07:35):
Humans they need. I saw footage on the news and
I think there's three people operating in that collroom. But
you know, you need more people. If they can't get
more people, then that's part of the that's part of
the problem. That's the question is why an't there more
people in there to try and find the patrol cars?
Why aren't there more patrol cars to respond to the
high and growing incidents of DV and other kinds of violence.

(07:57):
So you can't just look at it in isolation. It's
it's there's all these things are linked. Like go back
to the fellow who allegedly committed this act last night
and he's in jail for the time being on romand
or whatever. But when he sobers up, which I presume
he will do in due course, what's available to him
to find out why he did what he did? Like,

(08:19):
does he does he get talked to? Does he get
counseled or whatever? Because that's what I think we're missing
here sometimes is why are they doing what they're doing.
We know they possibly drunk, we know that they might
possibly have drugs in their system, as well, but why
they take it upon themselves to stab and kill and
hurt their partners and family members. You know, that's I

(08:39):
think some of the fundamental questions that we should be asking.
I know, and because I've had correction officers in my
elect to tell me people go into the jail system
and the programs aren't there.

Speaker 5 (08:49):
So the programs jail system.

Speaker 4 (08:51):
Is to.

Speaker 2 (08:53):
Those programs.

Speaker 4 (08:54):
So I think there's three big issues there. And I
mean estimates has only just gone on, and all this
stuff's on the public record. But I think you're absolutely right, Keys,
it's your own resource and now people, but we're asking
right now what programs do we have. We have two
of them that we've got, the Catholic Care and the
talentgy AC Council Runner Men's Behavior Change Program. And DV
is the biggest, one of the biggest problems we have
in the remote communities. It is linked to alcohol. We
see that as a as a primary driving factor. But

(09:15):
I think we've got to remember police can't be everything
to everyone, and the point when police are responding is
we probably failed at that point, Like as in all
the programs leading up to that, all the stuff in community,
all the community leaders everyone listening. We've all failed at
that point and we need to do better on that.
I mean, we're putting over the last two years close
to sixty five million dollars into DV and yesterday I
believe the Minister just announce another two point one million

(09:36):
for DV housing for people to get away from their offenders.
But we need to be really clear. Obviously, the media
is putting a very strong light on crime at the
moment around knife crime and violence. This has been happening
for a very long time without the attention. It's good
that it's getting.

Speaker 2 (09:49):
And the people.

Speaker 4 (09:52):
Putting in the pressure.

Speaker 2 (09:53):
It's a Territori is putting pressure because they're ringing into
this show. They're speaking to me. I'm sure they're speaking
to everyone. Absolutely they are complete had enough of crime.

Speaker 4 (10:01):
But I'm not saying it's getting attention it deserves and
when we start talking about an open forum, that's when
we start we're putting pressure on it.

Speaker 1 (10:08):
But the thing that I want to point out here
is what we know, is what we are hearing obviously
in this coronial that those rates of domestic violence are
on the rise. So what we're doing right now is
obviously not working. You know that is that's the real
concern here, is that what is happening right now is
not working. But we also we've spoken on so many
occasions on this show, not only about the issues with

(10:30):
knife crime, but about our police resourcing. Now we've been
told time and time again that we've never had more
police and never had funding.

Speaker 3 (10:37):
I think towards the territory police, you've got plenty of police.

Speaker 4 (10:41):
Well, and because it's on records, let's let's clarify it.
We have more funded police positions than we've ever had.
Now we do have an issue with police are not
at work and we need to get some officers back.

Speaker 3 (10:52):
Adequate police.

Speaker 4 (10:59):
Commissioners put on record how many offices he's got back
to work since taking over. We've got a long way
to go. But in terms of funded positions, there are
more funded positions than before.

Speaker 2 (11:07):
Well, and the thing is needed, we need and you
have someone walking down the street and you formed a
different thing.

Speaker 1 (11:16):
And also though again to go back to you know,
we're talking about here serious serious issues of domestic violence.
Just to go to the point that's been made again
by the coroner and then you've you know, you've heard
evidence over the last week or so from the emergency center,
the call center saying that they've got these jobs on
the screen and they're not able to get.

Speaker 5 (11:38):
Units out to them.

Speaker 1 (11:39):
So you know, that's at the very pointy end where
you've got those serious issues of domestic violence.

Speaker 5 (11:44):
But then you go down that list and you.

Speaker 1 (11:47):
Think what's really You know, you've got to make sure
that you're getting out to those most important issues where
someone's life is in jeopardy, but then you've also got
all of these other issues that you're dealing with where
to somebody who's just had their home invaded, that's a
bloodying situation as well, where you do expect police attendance,
and the police have been saying that they need more
of them. I certainly take on board the fact that

(12:07):
the government is going to do the review into the
Northern Territory.

Speaker 5 (12:11):
Police Force, but it feels as though you've been dragged
there kicking and screaming.

Speaker 2 (12:15):
I think the colp have asked for that like seven
or eight times for parliamentary view and because they need
to be an independent review of the police resource. That's
what the police are basked for, so we need to
do it. It's an independent body who can go and
do public hearings. You can have call evidence. That's the
way to do it, because this is a very important matter.
Because having funded police that's great, but if you have
someone in your home and you call the police that
they don't show up, that's not going to help. When

(12:36):
you're sold we've got funded police officers, but we can't
actually get there because they're not people to the ground.
We needed people coming to.

Speaker 4 (12:46):
What proposed or what the CLP has proposed, is a
parliamentary inquiry where politicians sit on. Yes, we can pull
people from the public, but at the end of the day,
I'm not an expert. You're not an expert. It is
better being independent with the union involved, the police union,
so people from and doing it completely independent of politics,
so that when the report comes back both parties have

(13:06):
to agree to what is what is provided and recommended.
Us seeing a parliamentary committee getting an allowance to sit
on a committee that ultimately will not be able to
give enough time to give it the detail it deserves.
It's better off being independent. That's what we committed to.

Speaker 3 (13:17):
And where's this inquiry? I keep hearing about this bloody police.

Speaker 1 (13:22):
So the minister Minister said on the show on Friday
on the week that was on Friday, that it is
going to get underway and be done and dusted within
six months. I asked whether the findings will be made at.

Speaker 3 (13:33):
The time this inquiry. I'm an older woman, Christmas will
get here quicker before this bloody police inquiry.

Speaker 5 (13:43):
Just get on with it. You don't know. It is
obviously need.

Speaker 1 (13:46):
But one of the other things that I do just
want to point out as well is that it was
announced a little bit earlier this year. I think it was.
I don't think it was towards the end of last year.
I think it was earlier this year that there was
changes to some of the mandatory sentencing around domestic violence,
and I do wonder is that going to have an
impact here in terms of reducing the rates of domestic.

Speaker 4 (14:06):
Violence about COADI. So we I think it was about
five years was the mandatory sentence that we got they
got what weed is. We removed it, and we've increased
the maximum sentence they can get. So previously some people
should have been sentenced for longer, but because the maximum
penalty was there, the judges would sentence to it. The
review that was conducted into it said we need more
scope to give more time in prison for some offenses.
And there are some offenses that are going in for

(14:28):
prison for whatever the mandatry was that probably didn't deserve
to go in for that time. So to say that
we've we've made it easier for offenders, and I know
this is what Jared's biting at the bid together and
say easier for offenders to get off is not true.
We've increased the maximum penalty time they'll go into before
the What.

Speaker 2 (14:42):
I'm getting that is that can even be enacted yet
I don't think it has well.

Speaker 4 (14:48):
Law.

Speaker 2 (14:48):
And then the coill say, well, when the programs were
in place, will enact the legislation.

Speaker 1 (14:52):
Well that's and I guess that's a big thing even
with when you're talking domestic violence. So whether you're talking
about the raising of the age of criminal responsibility, which
the government is still intent on doing, there does need
to be those programs in place, because if there isn't,
what's the point you know, there's not those support services
there there.

Speaker 4 (15:08):
I do know they got an extra ninety million dollars
in this budget to put those programs in place, Like
that was announced in the budget. It's money that needed
to be put into corrections. And I'm going to graduation
today for some new officers that will fall out of
that budget.

Speaker 1 (15:17):
So we are going to have to take a bit
of a break. You are listening to Mix ONEOW four
nine's three sixty. It is the week that was Jesus
smallber rowdy this morning. I can't even get to stop
talking throughout the ad breaks Frank Potter, Kezy Epiric and
Jered Maylee. Now we know that throughout the week, the
Northern Territory government and the federal government signed an agreement
to establish the Defense Accommodation Precinct Darwin at Howard Springs.

Speaker 5 (15:40):
So the agreement is.

Speaker 1 (15:41):
Going to enable the Defense, the Department of Defense to
use Howard Springs that facility as an accommodation precinct from
July and the first cohort of over thirteen hundred military personnel.

Speaker 5 (15:52):
Well, I'm pretty sure that.

Speaker 1 (15:53):
There's scheduled to arrive like they're starting to arrive already,
and it is going to be around thirteen hundred. It
is of Exercise Talisman Saber. But it's also going to
mean that this five year lease arrangement between the Commonwealth
and Northern territory is estimated to cost approximately fifty million
dollars a year.

Speaker 3 (16:11):
I eat, we're getting that in rent. That's brilliant. Where's
the fifty million going to go? I think the government
should not put it into the government coffers and put
it at target projects in the rule air. After all,
the camp is in the rural area, and I suspect
that the people who stay there when they have their
time off will shop and eat, and.

Speaker 2 (16:27):
You know the rules path that's like, just don't put the.

Speaker 3 (16:30):
Fifty million over the five per year, over five years
into government coffers and just disappear into the ether. It
needs to be targeted.

Speaker 2 (16:37):
It's Moneyney. Maybe this will bring an end to the
debarcle of the Howard Spring Center. All the wear and tear.

Speaker 3 (16:44):
That guarantee those boys and girls won't trash the joint.

Speaker 2 (16:47):
Well you know, well, actually we don't even know. We're
not even sure how much money because this is to
cover up here. There's a story Natasha files is that
I only wear and tear, wear and tear, and I
think we're already at one point five million dollars worth
of wear and tear. So why didn't the government just
come clean? And stay that there's damn me jair originally,
and we're going to prosecute and we're going to get some.

Speaker 3 (17:08):
Planning in the first place incompetence putting people in that area. Absolutely,
for years previous people have been very ably and comfortably
accommodated at Foster's Pavilion. And I'm sure in the future
now if there's another bad flood, which there will be.

Speaker 1 (17:24):
Well, no, the Chief Minister said to us on the show,
that there's still the capacity for people to be housed
there out of howards, still anyone else, not.

Speaker 3 (17:34):
Let anyone else in there other than there.

Speaker 4 (17:36):
So now that Jared's throwing a woman about a conspiracy
cover up and we've all gon around, let me give
your listeners what I know. Ye's really good, isn't true?
So one million and fifty was spent for security twenty
four to seven for the two month period that people
were there. You've always got to have security. Even when

(17:59):
that facility was sort of mothball, there was still security
going around that premise, Solly, so we're talking about security
one million and fifty. You've got to have it. You
have to have security there when you've got people in
it where they're danalyzing. Oh here we go, now, drink
dollars eight thousand dollars for damage. Now, the chief has

(18:21):
spoken about that, and I know that multiple people Dipple
have spoke. We've got mattress tender, room condition assessment reports,
and replacement of windows. So the reality is currently budget
let's call it three hundred thousand dollars to eighty eight
is damage. About a million and fifty is secured.

Speaker 3 (18:36):
On the show, get the thirty thousand dollars that went
to the contractor to assess the five we'll just say.

Speaker 1 (18:44):
She did also say to me on the show earlier
this week. I think it was that there is going
to be another tender going out.

Speaker 4 (18:51):
So yeah, and so I've heard there's another one going
out and it might already be out. I don't know
the cost of that, but what I can tell you
right now is a million fifty for security in about
three hundred thousand dollars in damages and then the assessment
for the work. And they're talking about what defense, how
that will play out for defense. I'll go back a
year from here. Last year, the same time when we
had Diamond Strike and Pitch Black, every civilian piece of

(19:12):
accommodation had some form of a defense person in it,
and it was it was struggling. It was wasn't helping
our tourism operators. The resorts were good because they had
people in it from defense, but the tourism operators weren't
getting the tourists that were coming through and staying. So
this is a great outcome because it means that our
you know, our hotel accommodation is free for tourists and
defense will then take it.

Speaker 1 (19:35):
We did hear from a hotel operator earlier in the
week and he said to me, Katie, it is like, obviously,
you know, good news, but then it's going to have
an impact for somebody like him because that they do
have defense come and stay, like when they arrive in town,
they also have defense. Like if there's families leaving that
come and stay.

Speaker 5 (19:52):
There and keep going there. Okay, So they're still.

Speaker 4 (19:56):
Just to clarify for everyone, this is what they would
call an overflow facility. So so it'll be managed under
the extent contract that someone like Ventia has for the
base services and they manage subcontractors. It'll be an overflow
facility for things like diamond Storm for Talisman, say but
that we see right now with thirteen hundred multinationals, you
see from the Defense Strategic g view more increased in
training activities in the North. It will become what we

(20:17):
would call a staging base to move people in the
training areas and move them out. But families on their
posting cycle still they still have an entitlement other Pain
Conditions Act, which not many people know to go into
a hotel when they're leaving their current location and going
into their new location.

Speaker 2 (20:31):
So they can't be all defense or Americans or Australians.

Speaker 4 (20:34):
So this might be well, like we do on any
of our defense precincts, if you've got a partner nation
that comes in, they'll stay on base. We recently saw
the Indonesians we're here doing some activities with the first brigade.
We saw the Gurkhas from the British Army. We're here,
so it'll be used as a bed overflow. Now in
terms of the fifty million dollars, so it's a fifty
million dollar contract per year, eighteen million dollars of that

(20:54):
will go to the NTG. Now where that currently goes
and what that gets reinvested if it's going to be
a royalties for your region is out in your area, Eysier.
But at the moment, I would be very shocked and
it would be very shocked to find out that we
have a planer than for it to come into the
anti government and then from there we'll see.

Speaker 1 (21:10):
Did you get a message from Jerry Wood throughout the
week and he said the IMPEX camp recreation facilities were
to be given to the community when Impects left, regardless
of the idea of taking a lease over the camp.
The recreation facility should be open to the local community
as reward for the camp being built in the rural area,
as promised at a public meeting at Howard Springs.

Speaker 2 (21:30):
We try to get them to open the pool when
the Palmsan Pool was shut. Remember and it's nation and
they won't even do that. They would't let people in the
So again government just saying something and doing something completely different.

Speaker 3 (21:41):
It also goes to the heart of what this government's
not very good at, even though they say they are,
is there was no consultation with the community in regards
to Stralian Defense Force taking up residents at this Impacts camp.
Have they spoken to yeah, good Shepherd School next door something?

Speaker 5 (21:55):
Then Ticket raised, they.

Speaker 3 (21:56):
Actually do a courtesy talk to the local member who's
sitting next doored me. Did they talk to any of
the other stakeholders? The question is that the answer is no,
So I do. I have no issue with defense people
being there at all. They will look after the joint
for sure, and they'll contribute to our economy and our community.
Have no issue with that. But once again it shows
whether we should question Defense about this because Duice Defense

(22:18):
is pretty good at consultation. They put bloody letters down
my road all the time when they're going to do
something that Rob's army barracks, which is nice because then
we know what's happening. So why in this instance has
the government just done this deal? Did they talk to you?

Speaker 2 (22:31):
I found about it when there's a pink sign on
the front feence, so I stopped and look at what
it was.

Speaker 4 (22:36):
It shows that people actually read the pink sign. But
I'll answer some of.

Speaker 3 (22:38):
Your points consultation yet again, let.

Speaker 4 (22:40):
Me answer some of those points. Firstly, in terms of consultation,
there are ntg government owned and least buildings all through
Darwin and.

Speaker 3 (22:47):
We put hold on hold on speaker than that.

Speaker 4 (22:50):
I let you speak. We didn't put in. We don't
go and talk to the next doornave and say we're
putting in dipple in here, or we're putting in here,
or we're putting in territory families here. It doesn't work
like that, and then not always there permanently. So the
reality of it is they'll they'll infill for our major
training activity season and then they'll xfill it will not
be occupied twenty four to seven to capacity. And at
the end of the day was the ds and in

(23:11):
the Defense Strategic Review, I'm sure this would have been
part of a submission you're not worthy, no, no, But my
point is there's a national security point on this, and
with the DSR, there's some things that just don't go public.

Speaker 1 (23:19):
Somebody has just messaged through and said, you know, more
than a million dollars spent on security, yet there was
still more than six hundred windows.

Speaker 5 (23:25):
Broken, Like, how does that happen? And no one's charged?

Speaker 3 (23:27):
Now they were stopping people.

Speaker 4 (23:28):
That's a fair question. A yeah, trouble YEA. Ultimately, like
I've made very clear my own personal position on this,
the people that didn't need to be HOWD accountable need
to pay for them to be prosecuted have that. It
is a good question. It is a good question of
what the security like if if that was allowed to occur,
how that was allowed to carry We definitely need and
I'm sure and the Minister said this during estimates they'll
be doing a deep dive review of the whole thing.

Speaker 2 (23:49):
What about two hundred and twenty nine thousand dollars for
buses to every people to Palm Center back that came
out in estimates.

Speaker 5 (23:54):
As well, and that that's a lot of money.

Speaker 3 (23:56):
And they also fed and water three meals a day
because I know someone who worked in the kitchen out there,
so that well, but that cost hasn't been in your
little resist.

Speaker 1 (24:04):
Say if anybody is out there listening this morning, because
I know that there is quite a few of you
who are very good with the tenders online. So if
you are out there listening this morning and you happen
to be going through the tenders and want to let
us know if there's one out there for how it springs,
I've got it up there, but I'm not as good
at finding those tenders. Please feel free to give us
a call or send us a message. But look, I
do want to sort of stay in the realm of Defense,

(24:26):
but certainly a bit of a different topic, which is
the fact that we'd revealed on the show, not that
the week just gone, but the one before.

Speaker 5 (24:32):
The fact that the airport works.

Speaker 1 (24:34):
So the works on the runway which are being conducted
by Defense are going to have quite an impact when
it comes to some of the flights in and out of.

Speaker 5 (24:41):
The Northern Territory.

Speaker 1 (24:42):
To this point or so far, we know that it's
going to impact that flight to Balley. Now, I want
you to just take a listen to what the Chief
Minister had to say on the show about this a
little bit earlier this morning, in terms of calling for
some clarity from both the Airport Development Group and also
from Defense.

Speaker 5 (24:59):
Take a listen.

Speaker 6 (25:00):
And that's why, Katie, we need those two organizations to
come together to come up with a plan with the
most minimal disruption on the runway access for both our
community and tourists alike, and then to share that with people.
So we really call on them to sort it out.
We all get the works need.

Speaker 5 (25:16):
To take place.

Speaker 6 (25:17):
We've seen runway works take place previous decades and it
has an impact, but we need them to come together
to have that plan. So exactly for your point, we're
trying to attract new airlines. We want to support the
airlines we've got here. We know how vital our air
services are.

Speaker 1 (25:30):
Are you confident that that was the Chief Minister on
the show a little bit earlier in the week, just
talking about these works on the runway. I think everybody
is a little bit concerned about the impact that it's
going to have.

Speaker 5 (25:40):
We all understand the work needs to happen, as we
just heardly.

Speaker 3 (25:43):
One airline to one destination, that's right, I don't understand that.

Speaker 2 (25:46):
I think the other thing is this really shows that
Natasha Files and Mano have done the best to confuse Territorius.
You know what is going on here to what about
the planning? This is going to interrupt a lot of people.
We all know the people in Darwin. What about the
holidays and what about trying to get more flights into Darwin.

Speaker 5 (26:06):
Well, that's that's a big point.

Speaker 2 (26:07):
I think big point other regional airlines who want to
come to darl and go well, what's going on That
government don't.

Speaker 1 (26:13):
Say, though, I will say because I know that the
colp ran this line last week as well, saying that
you know that it was the government being maybe not
being as open and transparent, whereas for me, I actually
feel as though it's not that situation. In this case,
it is a situation where they've not been advised what's
gone on. Like when I was interviewing the Tourism minister
about this, she did not know that those flights were
not happening for that month, and as soon as she

(26:34):
found out, within half an hour she'd gotten.

Speaker 5 (26:36):
Back to us and told us. But why on.

Speaker 1 (26:38):
Earth is that information not actually being passed on when
you've then got the Tourism minister out there trying to lure,
trying to get airlines to put on additional routes like
there is no chance.

Speaker 3 (26:51):
Just one quickie, nothing to do with laboral colp. The question,
the question is go for it. Let's pick on the colony.
Why it's yes, we accept for those not listening that
they know the ref and come off. Government owns a
da on airport or maintains it runs it. Why didn't
the airport operators being Department of Defense let the Northern

(27:14):
Territory government know and airport people if they didn't, if
they did, so be it. Why didn't they let them
know that an airway, a runway was going to be
out of action for x amount of time which would
disrupt commercial services. So where's the courtesy from the bloody
Department of Defense and their operators and contractors in regards
to this issue.

Speaker 1 (27:31):
They must have because the point here is if the
jets Star knows though, and if Jetstar is in a
situation where they're able to cancel flights for a month,
then the airport must know what's going on.

Speaker 4 (27:41):
So Listener is exactly how it plays out. So there
is actually two government or two government agencies at a
federal level that they have responsibility for the airport. So
it is a defense owned asset absolutely, the runway itself,
but Airport Development Group answer through to Catherine King. Yes
they're a private entity, but Catherine King's department actually owns
that piece of land, so it's least to them. So

(28:03):
between two federal government agencies and Airport Development Group, they
would have absolutely would have known what was going on.
There is a disconnect between what the deal being done
between Defense and Airport Development Group. When we found out
about it, and obviously we found out late to the game,
and we can't control well, we're going to love them
from day dot to have a sitting at the table
so we could sit there and work through the solutions

(28:24):
with them rather than finding out when things have blown up.
And you know, Jet stares being told that they're going
to potentially not be able to fly to Bailey and
Territorians absolutely deserve better, and we're trying to get low
cost airlines like bondser and those up to Darwin and
this just does not help. Their defense needs to pull
their finger out and actually release the project plan if
they haven't already to MTG, so we can have a
look at it and get us in the room with

(28:44):
the ADG if we need to make that deal. But
at the end of the day, there's two big federal
departments that have the ability to sit you walk in
and have it meeting together and both Ministers Katherine King
and Michard Marles and those if they need to.

Speaker 1 (28:55):
What do you think those that this means in terms
of you know, if we've already got a situation for
a month where Jetstar is not prepared to fly those
flights to.

Speaker 5 (29:03):
Bali, how are we going to get other airlines or
how are we going to get other other roots?

Speaker 4 (29:09):
More seats in and out of Darlce, So we just
so what they've said was there'd be minimal disruption from
what I've heard publicly, they'd be doing it in the
afternoon when we've got the least amount of flights going in,
and it impacts jets absolutely and it does make sense.
But we've also got to ask a big question about
our airlines. Why are we getting red eye flights out
of Darlin to the capital cities. And the reason is
because they have the curfainess. It's cheaper for them, not

(29:29):
better for territories, but it's cheaper for them to fly
to down and get us on a red eye and
then fly us out like they have an.

Speaker 1 (29:34):
Absolutely pay absolute top dollar for it as well.

Speaker 5 (29:39):
It drives my like and.

Speaker 4 (29:42):
There is no reason for it, and it's one of
those ones that the Atriple C should absolutely be looking into,
and the a Triple C actually looked into when Corners
was offering their voucher scheme back after COVID and then
all of a sudden, you know, the price is dropped
at that same time, like the prices were high when
people were using their vouchers, So there is a mechanism
to review it. But at the end of the Day,
Catherine king Ard Miles. They're the two responsible minister's own
infrastructure and defense and those two things need to get

(30:04):
together and solve it.

Speaker 2 (30:05):
So you're planning out the labor government.

Speaker 4 (30:06):
No, I'm just saying that they have the ability at
the ministerial level there that apartments day on the asset.
I can't go to your house and say, hey, Jared,
you need to fix up your guarden or whatever.

Speaker 2 (30:14):
But I understand we're joking a bit. But if you're
the anti government and you're responsible for territorians, why don't
you do that? Why don't you go and knock on
those on those doors. If THEED and say, well you're
sitting old they haven't come and talk to us, Well
why not go.

Speaker 4 (30:25):
And talk about now they didn't at the time.

Speaker 2 (30:26):
That's what needs to happen because this shows there's a
lack of planning and if you didn't know about you
didn't know about it. But you know, it just really
affects territorians day out.

Speaker 3 (30:37):
The air fair is not just from interstate to interstate whatever. No, No,
it's interest as well. Because Dar went to Elko Island
return it's eight hundred ninety nine dollars. It's the airlines
and the industry itself and what's going on now in
regards to the jet Star jets so obviously needs a
certain length runway and that's the one that's being repaired.
But surely there must be I mean the flights to

(30:59):
Camera and Sydney and Melbourne are still operating and they're
larger planes in a larger, longer runway. Surely there's something
that the jet Stars of this world can do in
consultation with the airport perhaps CENTI governments in Boldman to
negotiate some kind of access to the other runways. I
get it it comes at a cost, but hey, we're
talking about people being able to leave dar and come
into darl It's not just to no, not MKT is

(31:23):
probably too small, but I mean to negotiate at the
Darne Airport. There's more than one or two runways there, so.

Speaker 4 (31:29):
It's space and timing, yes, but that's.

Speaker 3 (31:32):
What the government needs to be doing with those other
parties is to try and get access because we're talking
business people as well.

Speaker 4 (31:37):
Coming out the Minister said we're absolutely having discussions the
airlines and AGT to get them in and find a
deal that gets them here.

Speaker 1 (31:44):
Well, we are going to have to take a very
short break. You are listening to Mix one O four
nine's three sixty. It is the week that was. Plenty
of messages coming through on the text slide. I'll get
to those very shortly. A lot of people up in
arms about the amount that it's cost for security in
fact out there at Howard Springs, and plenty of people
sort of asking why are those windows or why we're
still in a situation where so many windows were still

(32:05):
damaged despite the fact that you know that they had
that security there. But look, we have spoken at length
about that. I do want to talk about the fact
that the interest rates remained on hold throughout this week,
a bit of relief for quite a few Aussies and Territorians,
with the Reserve Bank keeping those interest rates on hold
this month at four point one percent.

Speaker 5 (32:23):
Now.

Speaker 1 (32:24):
The bank's board says the decision will give it time
to assess the state of the economy, but more rate
hikes could be coming now. The RBA Governor General Philip
Lowe said the Board remains resolution in its determination to
return inflation to target and will do what is necessary
to achieve that. It is tough for a lot of
families right now. You know, when you look at your

(32:45):
mortgage rates, you look at how much you know you've
been paying for the last hour of many years, and
then people's mortgages, interest rates going up, those payments going up,
and I think then the flow on as well. We've
spoken about that throughout the week to the flow on
in terms of peace people that have maybe got an
investment property, and is the rents going up in those
investment properties.

Speaker 6 (33:04):
He do.

Speaker 3 (33:05):
I've mentioned this before. What happens when or what I
believe happens when people get put into situations of financial stress,
is they start to give up things that are intangible,
like insurance, like they give up their insurance on their
house or their car, or even health insurance, any kind
of insurance because they can't see it. So they think,
I'll be right, what happened to me? You know, a

(33:26):
good Aussie way we go about things. And so that's
a concern is because they are the things that you
should keep. But you know, that's what people do. They
start to give up things they can't see. They start
to obviously pull back on expenses, whether it be children's
activities or going out or purchasing new products, and so
you see also then see a dropping the purchase of
new cars, but you see an increase in the sale

(33:48):
of old cars or used cars. And the other thing
too that happens when things get really tough is you
see a lot of people not buying new products. They
repair the old products. So you see a drop in
the sales of new products whatever it may be. Injured
washing machine. Good for the repair kind of people, because
they then lift their business a little bit too. But
they're the indicators, and that's that's the concern in these

(34:09):
tough times, just people start to make some really serious
decisions that probably okay in the short term, but meetingum
to long term they're not a good decision at all.

Speaker 2 (34:18):
It just goes to show that, you know, the unfortunately
obor government have failed territorianes once again. We're talking about crime.
Earlier we talked about how it's springs. We're talking about
cost of living because I'm breaking record because everything's failed
the government seven years. Look, it's not only what we've
spoke about it, but what about when you go and
get building done or you're going to get your living

(34:38):
cost of living is going right, and you to get
someone to turn up and do something. Materials like I've
got a new fence and putting in the Steel's goind
of like forty in that it just really goes to
show that and the power power prices are going up, well,
it's prices.

Speaker 1 (34:52):
Are going up before we get there, Before we get there,
because obviously we are pretty lucky here in the Northern
Territory in the sense that the yes go to the
interest rates if you like first Branson, No, I.

Speaker 4 (35:02):
Think you know everyone's feeling like you said, Jared, you've
got kids. I've got kids, ye Keisy, you've got a farm.
You're running out there. We've got to pay for you know,
we've come out of COVID. There's a lot of spending
both federal, state and by individuals during COVID and post COVID.
And to be honest, telling you a little I wish
I could say to them, I think the RBA is
going to stop there. I don't think they are. They're
not going to get in. Their mandate is about two
to three and a half percentiflation rate. We're not at

(35:25):
that point. There are some people that are coming off
fixed interest rates that are going to see their interests
go up by about four or five percentage go from
about two percent to about six and a half seven.
I think your standard variable seeing at about seven percent at
the moment. So there are going to be a lot
of people hurting out there, and it's absolutely the reason
we're putting more money into keeping power prices like well.

Speaker 1 (35:42):
And so obviously those power prices here in the Territory,
they're not set to go up a huge amount of
seeing compet comparatively to other states. But what we do
know is that the ABC is this morning reporting that
the Top Ends electricity greedy is facing risks of blackouts
within three years because the Northern Territory government has been
slow to deal with increasing rooftop solar and the scheduled

(36:04):
retirement of gas generators. That's according to the Northern Territories
Utilities Commission report. There is But look, I used to
work for the Minister for Essential Services and what I
can tell you is that that infrastructure has been aging
and it's been in a world of pain for a
long time, and no government's prepared to spend a lot
of money on it because it's not sexy.

Speaker 3 (36:23):
You've gone to the heart of part of the problem
in regards to power and water or not power infrastructure
is that it has not been maintained. I remember talking
about this well fifteen twenty year ago when I was
at the Mineral's Council and we had the Business Council
group of all the industry groups, and that was one
of the key concerns was the lack of maintenance and
improvements to our.

Speaker 5 (36:43):
Power remembers got the station.

Speaker 3 (36:47):
We've had some terrible situations transformer whatever. Yeah, I never
quite believe the line out at Channel liing and we
lost power for up to.

Speaker 2 (36:54):
Five How it takes like seven years to order and
get attended for one of these big generators government, you know,
they're already end of life, and I think estimates that
they're putting them back to zero. Ours you're trying to
extend the life. That's how much that costs in relation
to that. When you know this government, you know the
Labor government, you've been in power for seven years, but
for the last you know, sixteen or seventeen years, our

(37:17):
last twenty years with the Labor government up here, and
these factors we're talking about the replacement and the program.
It costs millions and million dollars These aren't cheap generators.
They are big and they need time to fix.

Speaker 4 (37:28):
We are in a better position than the rest of
the country in terms of how we sit separate in
the national grid. But hold on, that's speculation. What I
can tell you absolutely is we're.

Speaker 5 (37:37):
Going to put money into.

Speaker 2 (37:41):
Three years.

Speaker 4 (37:42):
Well, the speculation three is if we do nothing and
we don't upbreak the grid and we don't do these
zero timing about gas turbine generators, then we're potentially facing
black hats. Now you're heard in this. There's a lot
and Jared made this one. There's a lot of information
that came out in estimates about what we're doing to
get these solar farms online. They should have been online earlier.
There's no doubt about that. And there's probably some electrical
engineers going, hey, it's still a very complex problem to solve,

(38:05):
but we'll solve that. We want to see things like
some cable come off. We want to see upgrades, and
we're doing it without undergrading power. We committed to territorians
to undergrade their power. But I think the key that
territories need to take away from this is fifteen to
thirty percent increases on the East and sea board for
power prices where yes you'll have a small increase of
two point seven, but it's capped. We've done that.

Speaker 1 (38:24):
Are we actually going to get to the point where
we can't keep it capped forever? Because we do need
some serious infrastructure upgrades.

Speaker 4 (38:33):
Infrastructure We put on.

Speaker 2 (38:35):
Infrastructure and look get money into the into the fund
which actually keeps the balances. So the government is paying
taxpayers money into this, so we're fun.

Speaker 4 (38:42):
I think it was a community service obligation.

Speaker 2 (38:44):
Which is seventy one million which have gone up, so
the benefit ofativity.

Speaker 5 (38:49):
I'm really not advocating for power prices to go up.
God knows.

Speaker 1 (38:52):
I don't want those power prices to go up, you know,
none of us do. But I guess then that I
can see well and the concern that I can see
though over the years, you know, having like having worked
for power and Water and having worked for the Essential
Services Minister and having a look at it now, but
also having a look at when the CLP was in
power and that there wasn't money invested into the infrastructure

(39:13):
when it comes to power.

Speaker 4 (39:16):
They did in estimate. The question was asked with I
think it was Robin Lamblet said, we'll put it to
power and wren And said, why have you got a
one point eight billion dollar debt? And he rightly put
it out there. He goes, it's a healthy debt for
us to have because we're investing in our infrastructure. That's
money they're putting into building new poles and wires and
new generators.

Speaker 3 (39:33):
Changing all of that labor seats.

Speaker 4 (39:35):
But you've got to remember, Katie, that if we don't
cap power prices and we don't continue to offset it,
there are territories that will forego on their power prices,
that will have their power turned off, that will then
be home like all these things. Then you know, trickle
down and snowball, and we get in a position we've
got people who are homeless and cannot go to the problems.

Speaker 5 (39:52):
So what are the other things the concerns?

Speaker 4 (39:56):
But it's not let's clarify. He made it very clear
as the CFA. It's spin.

Speaker 3 (40:03):
All right, everyone's very fine on behalf of my rural constituency.
I want to add that when power goes out, most
rural people also lose access to their water well because
the board doesn't work because you've got no power, and
the masher pump doesn't work to pump it into your house.
So rural people lose access to water, which means there's
sewerage as well, unless they're meaning the toilet flush. Yes,

(40:24):
you can flush it with a bucket of water, and
that's fine. So that's the first thing. And the second
thing is the government changed the solar rebates ses and
they just said, oh, we've just did because we have to.

Speaker 5 (40:34):
So, you know, disappointed.

Speaker 3 (40:40):
I don't know how it ever happened that he and
I built two massive solar farms at Manton Dan also
one down at Bachelor, and yet somehow it doesn't talk
to our current system. Now, who cocked that up.

Speaker 2 (40:51):
And get it sorted out?

Speaker 3 (40:53):
There's two solar farms they're sitting not doing what they
meant to be doing, so that needs to be sorted
out our safety.

Speaker 2 (41:00):
And what the answer was is that they put them on,
tested them, and then they worked out if they let
them go for any longer, their system would go out
because it was made system unstable. So they had to
cut them out and it didn't work.

Speaker 4 (41:13):
Just to clap and I'm not an electrical engineer, and
I know you're not a You do some great videos
on Marma repairs so different electricity. But my point is
I'm an electrical engineer. However, it's not as simple as
saying when it turned it on, it is used to fault.
It's like an analog and digital system coming together on
the network and that's where there was inducing faults.

Speaker 1 (41:31):
So well, look we are going to have to take
a very short break. Well that is just about it
for us this morning. It's been a busy morning. Before
I let you all go though, what did you make
of the crickets and what did you make of the
brewery behind one.

Speaker 5 (41:46):
Of Australia's biggest beers.

Speaker 1 (41:47):
Funny jumping into the ongoing for or around the ashes
with that cheeky dig at the English cricket team they
have they make the be Obviously.

Speaker 2 (41:57):
They did it.

Speaker 3 (41:57):
They did it in India. So the first time Indian
cricket player they did exactly the thing. He put his
leg out of the crease and they stumped him. So
stop whinging your winging poms.

Speaker 1 (42:08):
Wow, you really feel my constituents who are English ancestry
people like, Honestly, hasn't it just made like it's been
really see how people have taken it.

Speaker 5 (42:27):
I always think so long as you're playing by the rules.

Speaker 1 (42:29):
And I know that there's some people that are going well,
it's mostly just just the English.

Speaker 3 (42:35):
The spirit of cricket game went long time ago. Well,
it's so you just.

Speaker 4 (42:42):
Got to win.

Speaker 3 (42:45):
Of course, it's even better when we beat the Poms.

Speaker 4 (42:52):
Right well.

Speaker 5 (42:53):
I do love though that that cub did make.

Speaker 1 (42:56):
They've sent them the English England Bitter and yeah, and
I sent it alot with like with promotional stuff as
well into it. You apparently sent them as a slab
and said you know you can enjoy this and and.

Speaker 5 (43:10):
There was a bit of a line with it that
went along.

Speaker 1 (43:13):
With the song that they would usually have for your
VB for Victoria Bitch. So but yeah, it's interesting, very interesting,
and I think that it's made cricket very interesting for
even those that maybe don't usually watch.

Speaker 4 (43:25):
It's on a bit earlier too, like you don't have
to get up after midnight to watch it.

Speaker 5 (43:30):
Sit and just enjoy.

Speaker 1 (43:31):
Well. Wonderful to have you all in the studio with
us this morning. Jared Bailey, the Deputy Opposition leader, thanks
so much for your time this morning.

Speaker 2 (43:37):
Thank you. If you've got Lamar out there, let me know.
I bet it's not a right.

Speaker 5 (43:46):
Technician.

Speaker 1 (43:46):
Have you got tutorials on your Facebook page?

Speaker 2 (43:50):
Mechanic by trade? Remember, hey, there you go.

Speaker 5 (43:52):
Not an electrical engineer.

Speaker 4 (43:54):
Profession now politician. I've got my.

Speaker 3 (44:01):
I've got my training videos in progress on how to resuscitate.

Speaker 1 (44:06):
Excellent, excellent, go on keys here she's writing a book
about it as well.

Speaker 4 (44:11):
What have you got no videos? I've just got videos
and photos and my kids trashing our house in school holiday,
so you know that.

Speaker 5 (44:18):
Oh, good on you. Thank you all so much for
your time.

Speaker 1 (44:21):
Brent Potter, the member for Fanny bay kesy Emperic of course,
the member for god and Uh and Jereed Maylee, the
deputy Opposition leader.

Speaker 5 (44:27):
There that was the week that was