16.11.22 TASMANIA TALKS FULL PODCAST

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Tasmania Talks with mic O Lochlan weekday mornings from nine.

Speaker 2 (00:04):
It is Alan kind of filling in for Micah Lachland
on Tasmania Talks. It's Wednesday, November sixteen. It's a bit
of a strange show. US radiotypes don't normally talk about ourselves,
but on this occasion we're going to break the rules.
Welcome to your studio.

Speaker 3 (00:20):
Mike.

Speaker 2 (00:22):
There, I am, and I put to your mic on.

Speaker 3 (00:24):
I just have to say thank you everyone because my
last day and I'm leaving now. It's a cancer story,
so I don't share it.

Speaker 2 (00:33):
Basically, it's doing it already. You said to me before
we started this, don't let me cry and don't let
me break down, and.

Speaker 3 (00:40):
You have normally I have as tough as hell and
I'm controversial and god knows what. But I mean, the
reality is when I was diagnosed in September with prostate
cancer in Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, how hand is that
I urge men to check their PSA's got a blood
test and young men. When I heard the story, I
was in hospital. While I had a couple of weeks off,
I had to go to the hospital for the biop see.

(01:02):
Of course, and they told me the story of a
thirty three year old, thirty three year old, very healthy
young man, got very ill, sorting out what the heck's
he got. We're not too sure what he has, and
all of a sudden they found out he had prostate cancer.
A bit too late, he became terminal, died at thirty eight.
Now that you think, hang on because people say, oh,
it's an old man's disease. Not so please, blokes, just

(01:23):
get your PSA checked, And most doctors say, no, don't
worry about it.

Speaker 2 (01:27):
You're right, you're healthy.

Speaker 3 (01:29):
It doesn't cost in the extra, get it done. And
I mean that's all I can say. I'm in And
for me it's a journey.

Speaker 4 (01:34):
Now.

Speaker 3 (01:34):
I've been back and forth and bits and pieces and
I've got to have all you held. It's ongoing, so
I can't really sort of stay in the chair and
then day off and on. I just want to say,
you mean, thanks to you for filling him, Mae, You've
been just a champion. But a couple of thanks. I
need to thank Tim Holder for first of all hiring me.
Good bloke and one of the nicest fellows I've had
the chance to work with.

Speaker 4 (01:53):
Tim.

Speaker 3 (01:53):
I appreciate that. The network team, I mean Greg and Hobart,
the fabulous Kim on the West Coast, I'm very partial
to Chloe and Bernie, Sylvia and Devenport Nat. Of course
he's done his fabulous in La FM and seven ST.
Thank you all the producers I've worked with rear brilliant, Jackie,
thank you so much for your help. And Jackie wasn't
a producer, just came in and gave his a hand.

(02:14):
And now I've got Richard. I wish Richard the very
best of luck. A great regular guests, I mean going
around the grounds with the team was sensational finding out
what's around the place. Ruth Forrest was just a lovely
person as a regular guest to talk to. Andrew Griffiths,
of course, Lee Johnston, Jackie Lamby is always fun. I
think Tammy Tyrrell, by the way, would be good for

(02:34):
the state. Good luck. Greg keyeser a good blake having
a chat to him as a mayor. But I've enjoyed
greatly too my chats with Brian Mitchell, for example, good
bloke and we'd be able to spa a bit and
I enjoyed that. But as soon as it's interesting Alan.
Soon as I spoke to Labor, social media would say, Mike,
you're a labor redragger. Then I'd speak to Peter wish Wilson.
I was a Greenie and you know I is bad

(02:56):
Greenie and the language is amazing. It was so humorous
to me. But reality me and I look at Anita Dowe,
what really a great hard worker as a politician. If
we talk police, Michael Ferguson, easy to contact, Guy Barnett
a very hard worker too, very very moral. But I
love it when I talk politics and get labeled with
whatever label they throw at me, because it means I've

(03:17):
got the balance right.

Speaker 2 (03:18):
Keep them wondering.

Speaker 3 (03:19):
You've got the balance right. But and I'll be honest,
I actually voted for Brigid Archer in Bats and I
appreciate her honesty. I appreciate the facts you across the floor.
So I mean, you know, when you know that, that's
that's my offence, and so you know, I think social
media will have a bit of fun with that. But overall,
I've got to say thank you to the listeners who
made the show the number one talkback show in the

(03:39):
most recent survey and all the appreciation and I really
appreciate the people that have you know, I've been able
to help with various issues as we've been able to
do a lot of that. I was asked what I
was a highlight.

Speaker 2 (03:50):
I was going to ask you that, any highlight.

Speaker 3 (03:52):
Yeah, well, fifty years in the game this month. Fifty years,
which is not bad. And they said when I And
A highlight, of course is last year being a finalist
in the acres. When you're a finalist in a national award,
it's fantastic.

Speaker 2 (04:05):
It's a radio award thing that they give out to
people in the Australia Radio Awards.

Speaker 3 (04:10):
And then this year we're up for four and we
won two. You know, produce a real one, real one one.
Good on her for that was fabulous. But then they
interviewed at the back and they say, what are your
highlights And they expected to say, oh, winning this, I didn't.
I said my highlight was meeting my wife. That's my heart.

Speaker 2 (04:25):
She was in radio too, wasn't.

Speaker 3 (04:27):
She And we've been together decades so that's my real
Oh all right.

Speaker 2 (04:35):
Okay, but yeah, yeah, I'll come back.

Speaker 3 (04:38):
That's a highlight. But it's just been really a pleasure
to win this shot job and so well, I'll leave
it at that. Great memories, thank you, And.

Speaker 2 (04:50):
You're going to leave it at there, Mike. You are
going to be back at some point. I guarantee you.
It's a hard place to retire from. I can talk
from experience coming back and after you've been through the
the rigmarole, which I'm sure is probably going to go
on for probably a couple of months. After it's got
a bit of work to do. Yeah, you will be back,
you mark my words. There'll be messages coming on your phone. Mike.
We need you to come in on Friday.

Speaker 4 (05:11):
Ye.

Speaker 2 (05:11):
It will happen. You just wait for it. You just
wait for it. So well, thank you mate, Michael Lachlan,
all the best with it and we'll talk again very
very soon. Thank you.

Speaker 1 (05:18):
Tasmania Talks with Mike O Locklin weekday mornings from nine is.

Speaker 2 (05:23):
Roger Yench remember for Braden Minister for Education, Children and Youth, Environment,
climate change, parks, aboriginal fairs, all sorts of things. Gooday, Roger,
good morning, Alan, good morning. Thank you very much for
holding on there. I don't know what you during that.
Maybe put your feet up and made a cup of tea.

Speaker 5 (05:42):
Hell didn't I listened carefully to our friend Mike and
his messages to us, and that all came as a
bit of a shock, as it will be to chas
Manians all over who look forward to his voice in
the morning in their car and their workplace and their home.
And I'm sure I'm with everybody else wishing him all

(06:03):
the best for the break he's taking and the challenge
he's got ahead of him, and we'll look forward to
hearing him back on the airwaves again soon. I think
everyone's sending love and best wishes to him and absolute
support for what he's got ahead of him, and thank
him again for taking the opportunity to send us a
message to get our checks and look after ourselves when

(06:26):
he's got this to face. Very generous of him to
do that, but we wish him all the best.

Speaker 2 (06:31):
It's a scary thing, isn't it. Like you said, I
think people think it's an old man's disease. You've got
to be very old before this happens. But evidently it's
not the case, and.

Speaker 5 (06:40):
Find it early and deal with the people who we've
got in our doctors, our hospitals. They're getting better at
this every day. So Mike's in good hands and we
wish him well.

Speaker 2 (06:51):
Absolutely, he will be back. He will be back. He
thinks he's retiring, but I think he'll be back at
some time. I guarantee you.

Speaker 5 (06:57):
Thank good Man down.

Speaker 2 (06:58):
How's landrov going?

Speaker 5 (07:01):
The land Rover actually sadly has the cylinder head off
at the moment while I try and track down a
coolant leak. I thought it was as simple as a
head gasket, but the head gasket looks good, so I'm
having to dig a bit deeper. So tragically I only
get an hour every couple of weeks to have a
fiddle with it. But this is one of the joys

(07:23):
of owning an old car. Every now and then you've
got to go and solve a problem, and that's a
good distraction from some of the other pressures of work.
But it means that every day it's off the road,
I'm not enjoying driving it, and they like.

Speaker 2 (07:36):
To be driven. Yeah, exactly. It's a good thing to have.
Talking recycling, that's the official media release here. We've found.
I guess that the recycling for woollies and coals in
the last couple of weeks has stopped. I think it's
because of a warehouse fire. But we've got a bit
of recycling happening in Tasmania which has been announced just
a last week. What's the story.

Speaker 5 (07:59):
Tasmania's been doing more in this area and Tasmanians are
doing a great job getting aboard recycling. Announcements that you've
heard from the supermarkets have been to do with their
soft plastics recycling programs and that's a national issue that
they're dealing with right now. We hope that they can
get that solved in the near future. But in Tasmania

(08:20):
in general, we're investing very heavily in doing more recycling.
We've got our container refund scheme starting next year.

Speaker 2 (08:29):
Finally, finally, why did that take so program? Why did
that take so long? I mean South Australia had that
in the I don't know, mid seventies. I can remember
as a kid going around. We used to call it
scabbing for bottles, but you'd make a few bucks out
of it and you'd never find You'd rarely find a bottle.
They were all picked up. Why has it taken so long?

Speaker 5 (08:51):
Lots of different reasons for that, partly to do with
Tasmania's scale and the fact that we're so spread out
that the logistics of moving small quantities of bottles and
cans and containers around Tasmania makes it a very marginal proposition.
But we've bitten the bullet now and as a result
of that, we will have the newest and the best

(09:12):
scheme in Australia and we look forward to that being
a reality next year. But what that will do is
produce very pure streams. Because we're actually collecting certain types
of containers that we have already been sorted, we'll be
able to feed them into reprocessing of various kinds and
help to get up a circular economy.

Speaker 2 (09:33):
We call it.

Speaker 5 (09:36):
A whole sector of our economy. Jobs for Tasmanians and
new businesses that are involved in making something out of
stuff that we used to throw away. We need to
do more of that. We're investing in the same way
in organic waste processing, so that we're going to very
less of our organic waste in the ground, turn it
instead into something that we can use in agriculture, in horticulture,

(09:59):
putting car and back into our soils, and reducing the
amount of organic matter in landfill that produces me sane
which we don't need any more of. In our atmosphere
contributing to climate change and global warming as well. And
we've just recently announced a three million dollar expression of

(10:20):
interest process for looking for a partner, an industry commercial partner,
to invest in a tire processing facility here in Tasmania
that will produce a crumbed rubber material that can be
used in a range of different applications, including resurfacing our roads.

Speaker 2 (10:42):
Now, haven't we been down this road before? I think?
Talking of roads, huh, haven't we been down that road before?
I think somebody a while ago was going to start
this with big Fanfair and it kind of never happened.
I think indeed they ended up on fire. Is that right?
I think it was out at Longford somewhere, wasn't it.

Speaker 4 (10:59):
Well.

Speaker 5 (10:59):
There have been people in the past who have been
paid to take tires away to do something with them.
Some of them have stockpiled those tires waiting for an
opportunity to do something with them. Others are shredding the
tires and turning them into a bulk product that they

(11:19):
then send away to other states to do further processing of.
In some cases, we've been buying back that product to
use in road building and other uses. Now, what we
want to do is close that loop and have the
ability in Tasmania to process our tires into a form
that we can be used here in Tasmania, rather than

(11:40):
sending old tires away and.

Speaker 2 (11:42):
Then buying them back again. Yeah exactly, and then buying
them back again. How much bitchumen do you save? How
much bitchumen do you save if you do this.

Speaker 5 (11:49):
It's less about saving on bitchamen. It's more about the
different properties that the rubber can give us in our roads.
And there's been number of trials done here which suggests
that sometimes the roads are a little bit more flexible
and resistant to cracking and therefore potholing. And also it

(12:11):
does displace some other materials. In some cases, it will
displace aggregate from quarry sources and things like that. In
some cases, in the hot mixed type applications it can
replace some of that bitumen. But it's not so much
about the savings there. It's more about making sure that
these tires don't end up being stockpiled in addocks or

(12:33):
in gullies and catching fire on one hand, or being
buried in the ground in landfill, which is really the
dumb solution now, We've got to be able to do
something more with these resources and crumbing them. Using them
in our roads is one of those examples.

Speaker 2 (12:50):
And playgrounds I seem to feature a lot in playgrounds, don't.

Speaker 4 (12:52):
They a soft fall in?

Speaker 2 (12:55):
And yeah, something else that I was interested in here
in the media releases talks about King Island and Flinders Island.
How do you get rid of waste on an island?
It must be an expensive exercise.

Speaker 5 (13:07):
It is an expensive exercise. And again they suffer the
same sorts of issues that we as a state. They're
like the Tasmania of Tasmania. Yes, because to do anything
with waste other than just stock pilot or bury it
in the ground costs a lot of money. And when
you've only got a very small population to share that

(13:29):
cost across, it's very hard for them to invest in
more sophisticated solutions. That's why we've been working with those
islands and with West Coast Council, which is sort of similar,
isolated small population, to try and get them over the hump.
We've put some state money in, the Feds have put

(13:51):
money in. What are a million dollars each?

Speaker 2 (13:54):
What are we aiming to do with it? Bring it
back to Tasmania or are we looking to get rid
of it on site.

Speaker 5 (13:59):
Or helping them to do more to do more processing
of that waste on island so that it can be
taken off or that it can be dealt with. And
so some of the things that they've talked about in
the past is glass crushing machinery so that they're bottles
and things that could be used potentially for creating like

(14:25):
a sand type product that can be used in concrete
and paving and in their road surfacing and things like that.
They can do that on island if they've got the
right sort of equipment, but it costs money to get
into that game.

Speaker 2 (14:37):
Yep, for sure. You see it in a lot of
roads these days, don't you. You see bits of glass
chops around there. So if you reckon you've got an
idea for tires? How do people look up that they
can go to the web page if they want to
put an idea forward for this for the tires.

Speaker 5 (14:53):
What we're really looking forward is for is a commercial
partner who is ready to invest their own money in
a significant plant that will be able to process these ties.
So we're not after people necessarily, just with good ideas

(15:13):
that someone else should do. We're looking for a business
that knows how to do this, that might already be
in the game in another state, or they may be
in a different part of the supply chain here in Tasmania,
and we're looking for someone who's going to be ready
to put up their own several millions of dollars to
invest in one of these facilities. Our money that we're
putting up is to reduce some of the risk of that. Now,

(15:39):
why we haven't got a business like this operating in
Tasmania at the moment, and it may be because the
startup costs of that doesn't make it worthwhile compared to
if you're based in suburban Victoria, Melbourne, where you've just
got the numbers. Now, if we can de risk this
a bit and put some money in to make it
worth the why for a commercial player to invest in

(16:03):
a facility like this and then in a way that
can pay for itself over time, then we'll get into
the game like the other states have been and will
stop sending our waist tires away and then buying them
back in a form that we can use.

Speaker 2 (16:17):
Yeah for sure, all right, good luck with that. Hopefully
it all comes together and we can get rid of
some of those piles of tires that are around the place.
Something different great. We talked to Greg Barnes on I
think it was Monday, and he was talking about Ashley
and how's the staff situation looking out there at Ashley?
I think he said there was ten people there, but
they seem to be still being kept inside for a

(16:38):
pretty long time. How's the situation they're going now?

Speaker 5 (16:42):
The number of young people detained Ashley and the number
of staff that we have to work with them both
fluctuate day to day, and so the challenge for us
at the moment is to ensure that we've got the
right ratios of staff two detainees so that every one
can be safe, and that we're giving those young people

(17:03):
the maximum possible program of activities including education and recreation
and other supports that they need day in, day out,
so that situation changes from day to day.

Speaker 2 (17:18):
How many people in about fifty? Yeah, I was can
say for ten people, how many people do you need
working there on any given day? For ten people, is
this some sort of ratio level.

Speaker 5 (17:28):
We've actually got fifteen in there at the moment, and
it does change day to day, and of course the
rosters need to be twenty four to seven, so we
need multiple shifts of people to keep that ratio. And
the other thing that you know, just as a little insight,
when we have a mix of males and females and

(17:49):
we need to have separation of them in terms of
the units that they're in. Whilst they've all got individual rooms,
those rooms are arranged into different units. We need to
have our staffing and our facilities sort of able to
ensure that they're separated and that they have female staff

(18:14):
where we can working with the female detainees. So these
complexities limits sometimes what we can often out. We do
have a very good recruiting recruiting program underway. We've got
new staff in training, we've got new staff, new trained
staff arriving from interstate shortly, and we believe that within

(18:38):
a couple of weeks we'll have our staffing levels stabilized.
In the meantime, our people on the ground and some
of the people who are in the management teams are
working around the clock to ensure that we're giving those
young people the full range of services that they're entitled to,
albeit from time to time they're spending a bit more

(19:01):
time in their rooms than is ideal.

Speaker 2 (19:04):
How often would that be to be half the time
or more than half the time? Is it still a problem.
Any day is different, and.

Speaker 5 (19:11):
Every day we'll give them the maximum time out of
their rooms that we're able to and ensure that while
they're in their rooms that they've got access to their
televisions and devices and things like the schoolwork paths that
they can also do in there, and access to telehealth

(19:32):
and appointments to ensure that their well being is also
being taken care of so they're not in sort of
isolation as punishment.

Speaker 2 (19:40):
This is just I just wonder how long you can
sit in a room by yourself. You'd go nuts. I
think I think you'd go a bit crazy after a while.

Speaker 5 (19:48):
Do we know that they're not we're not pretending, we're
not pretending that this is easy for anybody, and we're
working very very hard to ensure that those young people
are getting the best we can offer them right now,
and things also to reduce the stress of being in their.

Speaker 2 (20:09):
Rooms for extent longer than long.

Speaker 5 (20:11):
Longer than longer than we'd like, you know, in terms
of access to things like games and entertainment as well
while they're.

Speaker 2 (20:20):
In there, they trying and keep them entertained. Are they safe,
absolutely guaranteed safe in there?

Speaker 5 (20:25):
Well, this is the this is the whole reason for
some of these restrictive practices is to keep them safe.

Speaker 2 (20:33):
You know.

Speaker 5 (20:33):
It's so that we don't have groups of detainees, you know,
who may present a risk to each other, mixing in
an open area with not enough staff to supervise them.
That's that's the situation we're trying to avoid. And in
order to keep them safe, what that means is we
have to be able to have them out of their

(20:55):
rooms in shifts, in smaller groups that can be adequately supervised.
The whole thing is about keeping both the young people
and those who are supervising them, all of them safe
by having the right ratios and the right combinations of
people mixing in the common areas of the facility at

(21:18):
any one time. So it's a balancing act all the time,
but it's all driven by safety.

Speaker 2 (21:23):
Okay. So they're absolutely safe, Yes, No.

Speaker 5 (21:26):
They are.

Speaker 4 (21:27):
Every day.

Speaker 5 (21:28):
They are as safe as we can possibly make them.
And sometimes that safety comes at the expense of them
having the freedoms or access to the full range of
facilities in Ashley as well, but as soon as we can,
and whenever we can, those full normal programs are available

(21:51):
to them.

Speaker 2 (21:51):
All something else, talking of the safety of children and
young people, This one, here's I guess, worrying people a lot.
Conversion therapy. I thought that this was something that was
banned in Tasmania because I think the Liberal government about
five years ago said that was going to be the case.
But evidently it's not the case. And now we hear
that Lara Alexander is going to be having some sort

(22:13):
of speech alliance with some group who seem like they're
probably quite dangerous. Are you worried that people who are
maybe young and vulnerable are going to hear some of
this stuff from this forum and are going to be
put in a tricky situation?

Speaker 4 (22:32):
Now?

Speaker 5 (22:32):
Look, I think that the common thing that I hear
everywhere from all corners of this discussion is that nobody
supports armful coercive conversion practices, and.

Speaker 2 (22:47):
Certainly so why not just ban it? Why not just
go right, that's it, we promise we're going to do it.
We're going to ban it. Why give these people a
platform to talk about all this stuff? I mean, this lady.
I won't say a name on here, but there's a
quote here from a male out that went out and
it says here that the laws would criminalize parents who
question their children's wish to change gender. This is dangerous stuff.

(23:11):
If these people are out and they're putting this stuff
into the ether and people are hearing it, that's how's
that going to affect people?

Speaker 4 (23:19):
Now?

Speaker 5 (23:19):
Look, I hear your concern, And certainly in these sorts
of debates, you have people speaking up from various positions
that they hold, and sometimes what they're doing is they
inflame a little bit of the issue. They interpret things
in a quite dramatic way to ensure that their point
of view is heard. Now, we believe in freedom.

Speaker 2 (23:41):
That's dangerous for people. If you were a fourteen fifteen
year old questioning who you were, that has the potential
to be very dangerous.

Speaker 5 (23:49):
Surely, I agree, And we need to be thinking about
people's safety and well being first and foremost throughout all
of this debate, and we'd encourage everybody to be mindful
of the language that they use and the opinions that
they share in the forums that they do that in
as we have this discussion, should.

Speaker 2 (24:09):
We even have the discussion. Should we should the discussion
just be scrapped.

Speaker 5 (24:14):
I think in terms of a complex issue like this,
where there are lots of opinions, it is important.

Speaker 2 (24:22):
When they're dangerous opinions, when they're I'm trying to hurry
it along because I know you've got to be somewhere else.
I'm sorry, I'm not being rude, but when you've got
dangerous opinions that are possibly going to cost lives, surely you,
as a Minister for Children and Youth, should have something
to say about this and just say, Laura, this is
a really bad idea. Just don't do it.

Speaker 5 (24:42):
Look, it's important that everybody takes responsibility for the language
that they use and the consequences of the messages that
they put out. We also need to ensure that we
are not closing down debate and forcing some opinions underground.
We believe in speech, but overall, I think everyone that

(25:02):
I've spoken to and listen to also believes in the
individual's rights, everyone's right to be safe, everyone's right to
be included and valued in our society as well. There's
lots of detailed matters to work through on a complex
issue like this, and we expect that we'll see a

(25:25):
government response to these issues sometime during next year.

Speaker 2 (25:29):
In the meantime, so how many years does it have
to be? When was the When did the government promise
to ban the whole thing conversion therapy? When was that?
Was it five years ago? Six years ago? So it's
going to take another year to catch up to the
other states? Is that right now?

Speaker 5 (25:45):
The very important thing here is that we get it
right for Tasmanians and we reflect Tasmanian's societies expectations regarding
issues like this. We need to we need to ensure
that we're years listening to the debate and that we're
getting it right when it comes to legislating in this
important area. We'll continue to listen to all Tasmanian's views.

(26:07):
And what I'm grateful for is that what I'm hearing
from all courters, including from leaders of faith organizations, is
that nobody seems to be driving an idea that coercive,
harmful conversion practices are acceptable. Within that there's a lot
of people who are characterizing other people's views for the

(26:30):
sake of the debate, and we just need to be
careful as we work through that and be respectful to everybody.
We need there to be freedom of speech, but we
also need people to be mindful of how what they
say affects other people out there. Nobody wants to do harm.

Speaker 2 (26:44):
Okay, I think you should just do it and get
it over and done with six years things like a
long time before you go. Twoe hundred and seventy one
teachers resigned just this year, which is the highest on record.
What's the story there? Is it simply COVID or is
there other factors at play? Should we be paying them more?

Speaker 5 (27:01):
Our teachers are fantastic people. I've been moving around the
state meeting lots of them, and I thank them all
for the work that they do for our young people,
those who are having their exams right now at the
end of their schooling years, but also all of our schools,
particularly through COVID, which has been a very.

Speaker 2 (27:20):
It's still going. It's still going. I know that government
are doing their best to say that it's over, but
it's not. It's still going. Two hundred and seventy one
teachers resign. I know at least one teacher who's going
to quit because of COVID. She works in a school.
It's not a government school. But the COVID response there
is just absolutely pathetic and she intends to resign. So
this number is going to keep going up, isn't it.

Speaker 5 (27:42):
I think the number you're referring to, just to be clear,
is about staffing in our school system, not just teachers.
So many of them, most of them are teachers, but
the number you're referring to isn't all teachers, and we
need to be clear that it represents about three percent
of their overall workforce, which is not an enormous turnover.

(28:06):
I do acknowledge that a years out of the staff
of about six thousand, we need to keep it in
just to keep it in that perspective, and they have
been a difficult few years, most definitely, And so I
know we're also in a time where we've got record

(28:27):
employment levels, record low unemployment levels, and there are lots
of different sectors who are competing for clever professional people
like our teachers to come and work in a range
of different sectors. So there's a range of matters to
deal with there that could explain why we've had higher
than usual turnover in our in our school staffing.

Speaker 2 (28:51):
You don't think it's got a lot to do with
the fact that they're going to they're expected to get sick,
you know, one two three times a year. That wouldn't
have come into it at all.

Speaker 5 (29:00):
Look, everybody's workplace has been affected by COVID, and everybody
has been required to meet changing guidelines and regulations and
that's been exhausting for lots of people. But in general,
the rates of COVID cases in our schools haven't been
that different from our community in general.

Speaker 2 (29:20):
Well, it's been pretty appalling the number of people that
have been getting COVID since we opened up. Somebody put
it to me that I didn't do the mats myself,
but somebody put it to me that if you were
a teacher, moving from Tasmania to Ballarat would mean that
you were eighty thousand dollars better off after four years.
We need to pay people more, don't we.

Speaker 5 (29:41):
What we've got is a situation when some of the
larger and wealthy estates are offering significant inducements to teachers
from other jurisdictions to come and work there. We can't
compete in that game for a package to bring people
here in the first case. But when we're talking about
teachers in the early stages of their career. The salaries

(30:04):
here are comparable with other jurisdictions. They're ahead of some,
they're less than others. But for starting teacher wages, it's
not true. And I've heard the commentary about where the
lowest paid teachers in Australia. That's just not true for
those entry years, in particular, those early career years. There

(30:24):
are some differences at the top of the scale, but
they're only a couple of percent different and that's for
people who are earning up in the over one hundred
thousand dollars a year.

Speaker 4 (30:34):
So we do need to.

Speaker 5 (30:35):
Do more work on remunerating our teachers. We need them
to feel valued. We need to ensure that they're getting
a fair wage deal, but also the conditions that ensures
that their work is sustainable and productive and supported doing
their work and which is something I wear and every

(30:57):
state is grappling with this at the Some places like
Victoria have been able to put up a one off inducement.
We can't compete with that, and we don't think it's
sustainable for states to be poaching each other's teachers. That's
why the various state education ministers, including myself and with

(31:20):
our federal counterparts are working on a national workforce strategy
for teachers, in particular to ensure that we are boosting
the supply of teachers, not just stealing them from each other.

Speaker 2 (31:32):
We need to reduce their workload. And I guess, I mean,
I know you need to be somewhere, and we've got
somebody else to talk to as well. Running terribly late.
This conversation's gone for a lot longer than I thought
it was going to, but it's been interesting. I guess
I've sat and thought how much would I want to
be paid if I was expected to get sick at
least once or twice a year, and I suspect it
would have to be a fair figure.

Speaker 5 (31:53):
Well, look, the thing is with our schools that within
those schools environments, we do have plans around COVID how
to keep our schoolrooms ventilated as well as heaters and
cooled for sanitation. We've had restrictions at various times on

(32:15):
the sizes of gatherings we can have and the mixing
between groups of people. Our school environments themselves are part
of our broader community, but they've also got a lot
of controls in place in order to help prevent people
from getting sick.

Speaker 2 (32:27):
Now, some of them are the work better than others.

Speaker 5 (32:30):
Other workplaces, every other workplace has got its own version
of those plans as fits its needs. And every time
you go out to a cafe or a restaurant or
to get on a bus, you're also exposing yourself to
your fallet Tasmanians out there.

Speaker 2 (32:47):
So the session anyway, I.

Speaker 5 (32:51):
Don't think it's fair to say that that we're expecting
our teachers to get sick. Well, that's what's happening, the
condition of their employment, that's what's happening.

Speaker 2 (32:58):
That's what Look, I know you have.

Speaker 5 (33:00):
Somebody at risk of getting sick wherever they are, thanks
with other.

Speaker 2 (33:04):
Tasmanians thanks to the letter rip strategy, which isn't working
but no one seems to do.

Speaker 5 (33:09):
We will continue to take public health advice on our
strategies in our school.

Speaker 2 (33:14):
Public health advice. Can I just jump in here. No
one is able to see the public health advice. No
one's able to see the public health advice. People are,
people are, people are wanting to see that advice, but
we don't get to see it. So it's reasonable for
people to be suspicious of it, isn't it. It's not
working well.

Speaker 5 (33:31):
I think it's I think it's I think it's important
for people to be questioning and to taking an interest
in these sort of matters. But what we've got is
people who do this for a living, who are communicating
with their counterparts in all other jurisdictions. They're providing advice
to government. They're providing advice to the people who control workplaces,
and we don't get.

Speaker 2 (33:51):
To see the advice. So we have to take your.

Speaker 5 (33:52):
Work, respond to various levels of risk in their in
their operating environment, and how to respond to court ordingly.
And people should also do their own do their own reading,
take their own precautions and take responsibility for their safety
as well.

Speaker 2 (34:08):
The government have got a part to play. Look, we're
going to have them. We might have to agree to
disagree with that one. Roger yanch member for Bradon, thank
you for chatting this morning, and I'm sorry if I've
made you very late for the next appointment.

Speaker 5 (34:20):
That's okay. I'll look forward to our further discussions.

Speaker 2 (34:22):
All right, Good luck with that, land Rover, talk to
you soon.

Speaker 4 (34:25):
Thank you.

Speaker 1 (34:25):
By haas Mania Talks with Mike O Loughlin weekday mornings
from nine.

Speaker 2 (34:30):
Talking I guess Southern Cross Care. It's Emily Shepherd. Good
Emily Shepherd, good morning.

Speaker 6 (34:37):
How are you?

Speaker 2 (34:38):
I'm well, Well, what's happening right now at Southern Cross
Community Cares. They've had a bit of a staff reduction.

Speaker 4 (34:45):
Is that?

Speaker 2 (34:46):
What's going on?

Speaker 7 (34:48):
Well, as we understand that Southern Cross Care have advised
all the enrolled messes across the state facilities as facilities
across the entire state US, that their positions will be
made redundant in lightness profsual governments improved minimum care requirements

(35:09):
for residents in residential age care.

Speaker 2 (35:11):
So what's happened here? Exactly? Because I think everyone was
wanting more nurses on jerty? How's is there just not
enough nurses to fill all the gaps? What's going on?

Speaker 7 (35:24):
Well, the issue is here that these in world nurses,
some have been in these positions for nearly twenty years
at these facilities. And you're absolutely right. The commission, the
World Commission into Residential Age Care Safety and Quality absolutely
highlighted the need for additional care for residence in age care,
including more nursing care. So really, this is quite a

(35:46):
really bizarre decision by Southern Cross Care to remove in
World nurses from their facilities and replace them with care
workers now.

Speaker 2 (35:57):
There just to jump in, just quickly quickly. Wasn't a
registered nurse now on duty all the time part of
the deal. Wasn't that what everyone agreed to before the election.

Speaker 7 (36:08):
Yes, that's right. So it's now legislators that all age
care facilities must have a registered nurse on Sar twenty
four to seven. How our rooms have made that. We
already had legislation related to our Poisons Act to have
registered nurses on site at available in age care facilities
across Tasmania. And we know that they were supported by

(36:29):
a raft of en role nurses who supported the registered
nursing carrying out nursing duties in these facilities along with
the amazing care worker team. So that nursing team with
registered nurses, in role nurses and care workers delivered care
to residents. So what we've seen now is this decision
by Southern Class Care is to remove the en role
nurses from that nursing team altogether and replace them by

(36:51):
more care workers. Now, the ams made submissions to the
Royal Commission that the best skill mix or the ideal
skill mix to provide quality and faith care to residents
who made care would be thirty percent registered nurses, twenty
percent en role nurses and fifty percent care workers. What
we're seeing here from Southern Cross Care is a fifty
percent care worker base or more, and you know the

(37:16):
rest made up by registered nurses. We're losing a critical
part of the nursing team. It's going to have significant,
significant flow on effects to both staff and residents.

Speaker 2 (37:25):
So they're going deliberately against the Royal Commission.

Speaker 7 (37:28):
Well, certainly that's what it appears, you know. Unfortunately, the
legislation doesn't specifically or specify the breakdown aside from the
forty care minute that must be delivered by a registered nurse,
it doesn't break down the remaining one hundred and sixty
minutes in terms of the percentages for en role nurses
and care workers. And it seems that Southern Cross Care

(37:50):
have used this as an opportunity to remove in role
nurses from their workforce and replace them with less expensive
care workers.

Speaker 2 (37:57):
So do you think people their care is going to
be reduced, isn't it?

Speaker 8 (38:03):
Well, absolutely nothing.

Speaker 2 (38:05):
Against the other workers. I'm sure they're all terrific, but no,
this is that the care that's on site is going
to be reduced on what isn't it?

Speaker 7 (38:13):
Well, it is and that's what members are most concerned about.
We know that it will be increased with both for
registered nurses at these facilities who have to provide supervision
to care workers who are assisting with medication administration, noting
that they have to be supervised by registered nurses to
be able to carry out those tasks. Obviously, you know,
as it currently stands, registered nurses can delegate those duties

(38:37):
obviously with oversight by the registered nurse and supervision to
enroll nurses, but that will no longer possible. And we
know that many registered nurses are saying that without the
supportive of the enrolled nurses, they feel that their positions
may well also be tenable at these facilities. And without
any nursing you know, positions in these facilities, then the
facilities won't be able to operate safely.

Speaker 2 (39:00):
That's the thing too, is that it's a safety issue
as well. What happens if there's an emergency there's no
registeredness on site.

Speaker 7 (39:07):
Exactly, and it's a real concern for the entire the
entire facility in terms of a loss of enroleed nurses
and then obviously the difficulty to attract registered nurses to
these facilities because if the workloads associated with it and
the risk associated with compromising the safety and quality of
care of residents.

Speaker 2 (39:28):
So what has to happen? Emily, what should happen now?

Speaker 7 (39:32):
Well, what we'd like to see is a Southern Cross
Cares hang on board the enormous grounds of support for
enrolled nurses at these facilities, both from registered nurses care
workers and also from the border community and residents themselves
and their families to retain their enroleed nurses, and too
obviously look at how they can better support the safety

(39:52):
equality of care to residents in line with the Royal
Commission recommendations, the Age Care legislation and obviously with a
fifteen percent uplift in federal government funding to implement a
safer staffingset.

Speaker 2 (40:06):
Money gone? Where's that money gone?

Speaker 3 (40:09):
All?

Speaker 4 (40:09):
Right?

Speaker 2 (40:10):
Can you envisage industrial action over this, Emily shed.

Speaker 7 (40:14):
Well, obviously we can't take industrial action in the private
sector outside of the bargaining round, but we are exploring
options to lodg A disputes through the Fair Work Commission
because we do have questions about whether or not these
illegitimate redundancies. We're obviously lobbying the federal government in terms
of this unintended consequence on what was a really positive

(40:35):
strategy to put forward in legislation, to put forward to
support care of residence in age care to actually come
out and revise those care minutes and adding the percentage
of minutes that must be carried out by enrolled nurses
so we don't continue to see this plaid out across
other age care facilities.

Speaker 2 (40:52):
It's an absolutely bizarre situation. Look, keep us up to
date with that and good luck with your quest. All right,
Thank you so much, Shepherd Branch Secretary, Australian Nurses and
Midwife Federation, thank you for chatting this morning.

Speaker 1 (41:05):
Tasmania Talks with Mike Locklin weekday mornings from nine.

Speaker 2 (41:09):
But right now, if you live in the bush, wherever
the bush exactly is, people from overseas wonder where this
particular bush actually is. But anyway, it's a generic term.
It's hard to get connections. Sometimes, it's hard to work
from home, and it's hard to run tractors, all sorts
of things if you live in the bush. Regional Connectivity
Month we've got Jen Medway on the line, good Agen.

Speaker 8 (41:32):
Good morning.

Speaker 9 (41:33):
How are you Ellen?

Speaker 3 (41:34):
I'm very well.

Speaker 2 (41:34):
You have a very good connection there.

Speaker 3 (41:37):
I do, I do how of things.

Speaker 2 (41:39):
I mean, in Tasmania when the NBN came, we were
pretty much the leader because I think Scottsdale got it
first and there were some other regional areas that got
the NBN first and everyone was saying, gee, this, this
is a this is a coup for Tasmania. Are we
still sort of in the top or we somewhere in
the middle. How are we going as far as connectivity.

Speaker 9 (41:57):
Goes pretty well actually, and look, to be honest, there's
only different technologies. NDAN were fabulous and I think we
moved on from the days of government. You need to
fix this and we've seen some tel codes really step
up to the plate and NBAN is one of those,
and there's others as well. And it's exciting to see
the fact that there are options in regional Australia for
people that perhaps might not get the best connection or

(42:19):
looking for something different. There are solutions, which is fabulous.

Speaker 2 (42:23):
So a few because you live near Camber, don't you
and you have I do? I think what's the connectivity
like there?

Speaker 9 (42:29):
Look at hidden myths. We're in a fairly hilly area,
so yeah, look, to be honest, pretty good mobile reception
is not great around our area, but certainly the access
to satellites these days, I often say, you can see
the sky, you can get a satellite internet connection. So yeah,
to be honest, mobile probably our our gap where we
are out here on the farm. So but look, to

(42:49):
be honest, again, there's solutions even for that. So I've
got to stop winging and actually take my own advice
every now and again.

Speaker 2 (42:55):
Oh no, before you stop winging, we hear about people
not really getting what they paid for? How's that going now?
Because I know at one stage it was a big problem,
wasn't it.

Speaker 9 (43:05):
Yeah, look, it definitely was a big problem. But look again,
I think, to be honest, it's getting a little bit better.
We're seeing some real changes in that in that area,
and certainly our service, the regional tech Hub is there
to sort of help solve some of these issues. So
what's one of the reasons why I was super excited
to join this role in particular, actually because we've spent
so much money and time and effort basically on so

(43:28):
many different solutions. If I only had have known that
someone could have given me my solutions that would have
been very helpful.

Speaker 2 (43:35):
So I mean, is there is there any spots in
the whole of Australia that you just cannot access information?

Speaker 8 (43:43):
Look to be.

Speaker 9 (43:44):
Honest, So we used to say that, say, for instance,
NBM we're about ninety eight percent. Now starlink is one
hundred percent of Australia so even now you can even
get it up in regional Northern Territory. So look, there
are solutions. We've got risks for the wireless internet service
providers come online, we've got black spot rollouts, we've got
more government thinking more money into infrastructure. So look, to

(44:05):
be honest, there are absolutely spots where it is tricky.
But often though, if we can work with those people there,
usually we can find something for them to get there.
And certainly it's not just getting connected also to stay
you just.

Speaker 2 (44:20):
You just dropped out there.

Speaker 9 (44:23):
I was just saying about Oh no, that's just as
I was saying about staying connecteds.

Speaker 8 (44:26):
So yeah, there's lots of stuff going on.

Speaker 2 (44:29):
So the irony of it, we seem to be getting
a lot of disasters in Australia, and I during the fires,
a lot of communities were complaining because they just didn't
have connectivity and sometimes lives absolutely depend on it. This
is a good reason to get things moving, isn't it really?

Speaker 8 (44:47):
Yeah, look it really is.

Speaker 9 (44:48):
And look if you see what's happening in New South
Wales at the moment with the flooding, you know, it's
just devastating and even this morning. I've got some more
outages from Telster this morning, which you know, inevitably if
you see the photos you can understand why these. You know,
we've got servers and things sitting in a foot foot
look like a foot of water really, and of course
we've seen the bushfires and other things where it just
wipes out all infrastructure. Look, to be honest, for telcos

(45:11):
are aware of this, and they're pretty good at getting
services up as quickly as they can, and there are
some sort of interim solutions that they can roll out
in you know, pretty serious situations. But to be honest,
it's not even just a big emergencies. We're also seeing
a lot of power averages and other things that are
really causing some challenges for the tailcodes in terms of
making and maintaining coverage. So look, there are I think

(45:34):
you know, if it's imperative that the companies actually plan
for it themselves as well as people. You know, having
power back ups and other things to keep your connectivity
going is really important. And again there are sort of
UPS solutions these days and other sort of backup power
solutions that can help with that. But it does cost
in some cases, so that's a bit unfortunate. But you know,

(45:55):
it's absolutely like can be like you know, life or
death in terms of making sure that you've got access
to reliable connectivity to keep you know, particularly in cases
where if you've got a health issue or whatever else.
So you know, there are solutions please reach out to us.

Speaker 2 (46:10):
You talk about the UPS business, I'm guessing that's to
do with the NBN because I know a lot of
people talked about the fact that when the power goes out,
the average NBN box turns itself off as well, the
UPS keeps it on and probably keeps the Internet on,
doesn't it.

Speaker 9 (46:26):
Yes, that's not just so it's not actually linked to NBN,
So it's just the universal power system. So basically that
will then allow you when times are.

Speaker 8 (46:34):
Out to be able to you know, have back up
power to be able to.

Speaker 9 (46:37):
Run things like the NBN boxes, but it's not just Enby,
and it's any router, any sort of connectivity and perhaps
if you do have mobile reception and you know you're
on that, you know four percent, do some of us
find ourselves in being able to maintain connectivity and you
have that back up power to get even mobile reception
up and running is important. So yeah, look, it probably

(46:58):
isn't specifically linked to it, but I mean, you know,
other there's certainly other options. And you know, I'm on
a farm, so we've got generators running around, which are
not ideal to be plugging in phones and other things.
But there are again some power you know, power boosters
and other things that you can work on that allow
you that flexibility to be able to power up when
the when the mains are down, a bit.

Speaker 2 (47:17):
Of emergency power. Elon Musk at one stage he was
putting out I don't know. I think there was balloons
at one stage, and then I think he was putting
up little satellites. What's going on with that or has
that just gone away?

Speaker 4 (47:28):
Yeah?

Speaker 8 (47:29):
No, I definitely hasn't gone away.

Speaker 9 (47:30):
So obviously Elon Musk so he's got Starlink and now
it's one hundred percent across Australia. So look, there are
absolutely positives for Starlink as well as other satellite technologies
internet technologies. So you know, we do find a lot.

Speaker 8 (47:47):
Of our regional customers jumping over to.

Speaker 9 (47:49):
Starlink as a service. And basically what our service does
is we kind of pinpoint where you are, so we
actually look at your house, we look for trees and
hills and other things and we'll tell you he can
get Fay Styling or Endian or whatever it is. So
the thing that we are completely free and independent or
a government service. So the best thing about that if
you are interested in, say Styling, let us know and

(48:11):
we can actually find out whether or not you can
get that. But back to your original question, yes, Elong
has been very proactive in terms of I basically when
someone said to me, he's just kicking out satellites up,
you know, as as.

Speaker 8 (48:23):
As things happened.

Speaker 9 (48:24):
So they're literally a lots of coverage across Australia, which
is fabulous and it just gives other people another option
to their Internet.

Speaker 8 (48:32):
And it's look, it's not overly expensive.

Speaker 9 (48:34):
It's a bit of installation costs there and I know
there's changing a few plans and things, but certainly in
terms of the options now available to people in regional areas,
they're certainly growing and we're certainly seeing a lot more
solutions coming onto the market, which is fabulous.

Speaker 2 (48:50):
Yeah. I think he's putting it in Ukraine too, isn't he.

Speaker 9 (48:53):
Pel Yeah, yeah, I think, you know, I think they
put out a call, you know, at the beginning of
the escalation of things, and my understanding is he did
come to the party, which is great.

Speaker 8 (49:04):
But yeah, I mean.

Speaker 9 (49:04):
Even for you know, every day that it's certainly been
a game changer. I think so many people who felt
that Prince and other services weren't up to scratch, or
they you know, weren't interested. It's certainly given people just
another option, which is always what you want, isn't it,
rather than having, you know.

Speaker 2 (49:17):
Just a couple of one or two options exactly. You
get a bit of a delay on the satellite, don't
you look?

Speaker 8 (49:23):
Not too bad?

Speaker 9 (49:24):
Actually, so I think there's there's a little bit of
latency every now and then and upload and download, but look,
there is a little bit. But these days of speed
that people are able to achieve a far outweigh anything
that we used to have, so I certainly don't start
from that little incident before.

Speaker 8 (49:38):
I certainly don't have too much drama.

Speaker 9 (49:40):
We're on satellite ourselves, and I don't see that as
a problem.

Speaker 3 (49:43):
Yeah.

Speaker 9 (49:43):
So there there's different levels of satellite, so I won't get.

Speaker 8 (49:46):
Into too much of a technology.

Speaker 9 (49:48):
But there's sort of low Earth orbit, medium and the
high stuff, and certainly the one that's really far away
makes it a little bit more challenging for you know,
it's a bit further away, so obviously it's going to
be a little bit more latency. But to be honest,
there are solutions and you know, the system is rigged
up for that. So that's why your mobile reception goes
through towers rather than necessarily through through satellite.

Speaker 8 (50:09):
Although for your callers.

Speaker 9 (50:11):
It's interesting to know that there's a there's a setting
on your phone where you can actually can set your
phone up to use your internet for it's called Wi
Fi calling. If you're sitting there with bad you know,
internet mobile connectivity, that's not ideal, jump on our website
google Wi Fi calling, or you can probably just google
it anyway, And basically there's setting on your phone that

(50:32):
allows you to run your Internet and that's actually how
I'm calling you now, because as I said, my mobile
internet is not fabulous, but I actually am calling you
via our internet, which makes it you know, it's a
game changes for people in regional Australia that don't have
mobile connectivity or great mobile connectivity. It just fills in
that gap and allows you to still make calls, which

(50:52):
is fabulous. So amongst that Wi Fi calling.

Speaker 2 (50:56):
I can tell you that there's no there's no delay
at all on the line, so which is pretty good.
Right at the start of this there was limited satellite space,
wasn't there is that still an issue where as we
passed them.

Speaker 9 (51:06):
Oh, look to be honest, So Skymaster Plus has just
come out and it's basically now so that's an endian
sort of service. And skymaster Plus is now basically unlimited
except for streaming services. So for instance, if you watch Netflix,
it does get counted, but that's only towards your allocation.
Otherwise everything is unmeted. So look, I think there back

(51:28):
in the day there were some challenges and certainly when
I first signed up to NBAN, you know, I know
that there was you know, fairly strict guests downloads, but
that is seemingly a thing of the past, which is great.
So we're now seeing that the incoming less and less
of a problem as more satellites are there and people
are using different options, which is fabulous because you know,

(51:48):
the amount of data that we're consuming and using is
just you know, growing exponentially, and.

Speaker 8 (51:52):
So it's important that the telcods.

Speaker 9 (51:55):
Well they've obviously recognized that and I keeping pace with
what's needed. And certainly we're seeing that. Certainly data downloads,
particularly during COVID with education and health and things like
that was a problem. But if you're running out of
data regularly, so there's absolutely plans available at pretty good
price points, to be honest. So the amount of times

(52:15):
I've sat there with my children saying, don't you dad
download something, to be honest.

Speaker 8 (52:19):
That is a thing I know that's a thing of
the past.

Speaker 9 (52:21):
So definitely there are different plans. And if you're sitting
there and THEOS this is someone that you know you're
resonating with that you're like, ah, we keep going over
and we keep capping that ten dollar charge or whatever
each month. Please have a look, because you know, there
are some great unmeted plans these days, or even higher
plans that you could possibly look at them. And again

(52:42):
that's something that we can absolutely help out with. So
please please don't sit there is my you know, with
other bad internet, with about you know plan that doesn't
quite work for your too expensive or doesn't have enough data.
Please let us know or if you need. One of
the things we do find is that people often just
want an improve service. They want to fastest service. I've
been sitting there going, oh, my internet's annoying again.

Speaker 8 (53:04):
You know we can help with that as well.

Speaker 2 (53:06):
Goodness me, it's come so far. I can remember when
the ADSL came to Tasvania, so I think long system
was actually the testing ground and it worked for about
half the time. But it was just amazing. It would
blow your mind. But of course now we laugh at it,
we laugh at it.

Speaker 8 (53:20):
Goodness.

Speaker 2 (53:21):
How do people look up? How do people find you? Jen?

Speaker 8 (53:24):
Yeah?

Speaker 9 (53:24):
Look regional tech hub, dot org, dot au or just
Google us is probably the easiest way we have. We've
got phone numbers, We've got a plethora of resources that
are available online, and well, to be honest, the language
can get a bit confusing. I'm a no technology person,
I promise my team I get about two sentences in
and my team.

Speaker 8 (53:42):
You know, I'm I'm lost.

Speaker 9 (53:43):
So I certainly understand the challenge in regional Australia connecting.
You know, with some of this the language gets a
bit tricky in so yeah, please go to the website.
It does help with that translation into everyday speak. But
of course if you're looking to get a bespoke report,
so literally our team look where you live, give.

Speaker 8 (54:02):
You the options, give you what you've got and help
you out. There is a form online and also of
course you can always call us, so yeah, jump online
and you'll find that. So yeah, there's plenty of.

Speaker 9 (54:13):
Ways to get in touched. But as I said, please
don't sit there because I have been that person that
has sat there with not great internet and it is
so frustrating.

Speaker 8 (54:21):
So the great news isn't there's ways to get around it?

Speaker 4 (54:23):
Easy?

Speaker 2 (54:23):
Is it? You're the person to talk to Jen Medway
from the Regional Connectivity Month initiative which has been launched
this month. Options in the Bush, That's what it's about.
Jen Medway, thanks for the chat.

Speaker 9 (54:34):
No, thanks so much for having me.

Speaker 2 (54:35):
You have a great day, catch you soon. It is
ten twenty two Tasmania Talks.

Speaker 1 (54:39):
Tasmania Talks with Mike Lodlin weekday mornings from nine.

Speaker 2 (54:43):
Fernando, are you swaying there.

Speaker 4 (54:45):
Peter, Well, yes, so no. It brings back a lot
of memories for me and Aba very much in the
news today, well, in the news firstly because it's Freda's
seventy seventh birthday, yes, just to make us all feel
a little bit old, but also because they've got four
nominations today in the Grammy Award nominations which have come out,
and this is for the Voyage album, which, to be

(55:07):
very honest, didn't sell as well as I think everybody
thought it was going to cole of well, I thought
it was quite good, but maybe the moment had gone.
You know, for decades we had these recurring stories of
you know, we'll ever get back together, and finally they
did and it didn't quite get received in the way

(55:27):
I thought people would. But anyway, four nominations today for them.
The other interesting one is Beyonce, who today has equaled
with her husband Jay Z to be the most nominated
performers of all time. They each have eighty eight nominations
over time. So that's a power couple, you know. And

(55:51):
if she wins. She got four nine new ones today.
If she wins four of those nine on the night,
she will become the most awarded, the biggest in a
Grammy award.

Speaker 2 (56:02):
That must have a shed full of the things.

Speaker 4 (56:04):
Well, a big mantel piece, absolutely were an actual trophy room.
I'd say a lot of those people have gosh, what.

Speaker 2 (56:11):
Would you do with them? Another lady whose birthday and
today in ninety Petula Clark. This is amazing. I can
remember Downtown being played a lot when that came out,
and I seem to remember an interview with her when
that came out, and she actually said that she didn't
even know it was happening. The first she knew about
it was when she had it on the radio.

Speaker 4 (56:30):
Well, you know, it's a very interesting story that Petula
Clark won because she was actually a child star. She
was performing, you know, as a kid performer on radio
and very early days of television and performing for troops
during the Second World War. We didn't know about that here.
And then she had a whole other career in France
doing pop music in French, and she's recorded in Italian

(56:53):
and German, and then she had those big hits like
Downtown and My Love and Color My World and big
Numbers that Tony Hatch and Jackie Trent wrote for her.
And she's still around, She's still going. She'll spend her
ninetieth birthday working. She's in Mary Poppins in London at
the moment, playing the bird Woman, which is the role

(57:14):
of Patty Newton's playing here at the moment in Brisbane,
and so she's not slowing down. She doesn't want to stop.
She primarily lives in Switzerland, but she's hardly over there.
She's always working. So happy ninetieth birthday to Dame Petula Clark.

Speaker 2 (57:26):
Apparently she lives. This is from Richard. She lives in
a castle. What's the story with that?

Speaker 4 (57:31):
Yeah, well wouldn't we all? It's not the money, So
I'd have a castle in Switzerland too if I could.
But a very talented woman and very shy woman. Actually,
she's quite very modest when you get to meet her
and talk to her.

Speaker 2 (57:47):
Wow, okay, how many times have you had a yap
to Patula Clark over the years?

Speaker 4 (57:50):
But oh, probably three times? I would have thought. And
I'm a big fan, so I go a bit fanboy
when I am with her. But she's very charming lady.

Speaker 2 (58:00):
Yeah, okay, best story from Pritcilla Clark. Anything stand out
for you?

Speaker 4 (58:04):
Well, I think for she hasn't rather unusual marriage situation
which she talks about. She's sort of separated, but they
still live under the same roof and they have got
a lot of respect for each other. But it's a
rather complicated story. But it's musicians and artists for you try.

Speaker 2 (58:21):
And be complicated. It's good for them somebody else, But
saying Diana Ross seventy eight.

Speaker 4 (58:25):
Wow, yeah, Well she got nominated today in the Grammy
Awards too, and this is for her album. She's nominated
in the category of Best Traditional Pop Music Album, And
so that's pretty good for seventy eight. And she's she's
been nominated many times but she's never won, and I
think it's forty years since her last nomination. But she's

(58:46):
having something of a career resurgence at the moment.

Speaker 8 (58:49):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (58:49):
She did Glastonbury this year. She did the big concept
for the Queen. She was like the big finish for
the night, which I don't think she should have been
quite frankly, but nonetheless she was. And so yeah, Dinah
Ross is certainly back in business.

Speaker 2 (59:03):
I've heard from various people that she's well kind of awkward.
Is that true? Is that true? I don't know.

Speaker 4 (59:09):
Dianah. Oh, she can be very difficult or missus Ross
as people have to call her. But yeah, she can
be very She stands her own ground and she's pretty tough.
I think that would be fair to say. But you know,
that's maybe why she's lasted so long. You know, she
just doesn't take any nonsense from anybody.

Speaker 2 (59:26):
Will we be talking about Beyonce when she's eighty you reckon?

Speaker 4 (59:29):
Isn't that interesting? I don't know. It's a different game
these days. I suspect sometimes you see people that think, yeah,
you'll be around in thirty or forty years time, and
Beyonce it probably is one of those ones that I
think will be I.

Speaker 2 (59:43):
Can remember seeing Madonna on the TV in the early
eighties and it was always kind of Madonna Madonna Cindy
Lauper kind of thing, and we're sort of talking about
who's going to be the one that lasts the longest
out of these two. I don't know Madonna. She can't
sing very well. What do you reckon? It's kind of boppy,
But and that was what we thought, but a little
bit we know they're both still around exactly.

Speaker 4 (01:00:01):
Yeah. I mean, you know, Madonna I don't think is
sort of doing a big shows anymore. I haven't heard
of her doing him for a while, but when she does,
she's always good. She's very odd woman. And Cyndi Lauper
of course coming to Australia next year a special guest
with Rod Stewart for his shows. So yeah, both of
those performers still very much around him with us.

Speaker 2 (01:00:21):
She had some stuff out Cindy Loupeh probably ten years ago,
and it was really good, like it was just terrific.
Her voice is great.

Speaker 4 (01:00:29):
Well, of course she's also got now this other income
stream because of the musical Kinky Boots. This is all
her music, so a lot of money comes in from
that too.

Speaker 2 (01:00:39):
Gosh, all right, they do everything all right to end
on a well, I think it's still a mystery, isn't that.
This all got very very weird and then we forgot
about it. Olivie Newton John's boyfriend, what was the story?
Remind us?

Speaker 4 (01:00:52):
Well, his name was Patrick McDermott and he was Olivia's boyfriend,
stroke partner. I'm not quite sure what the right word
is either way. He went on a fishing trip with
twenty two other people else the coast of California and
never came back, and that led to all sorts of
stories that he'd either tried to take his own life,
for he fell and slipped and drowned.

Speaker 2 (01:01:13):
And there was apparently sightings here and there, whether the
or not, well, that.

Speaker 4 (01:01:17):
Became a big thing of you know, supposedly he faked
his own death and he moved to Mexico because he
had debts. The debts were only thirty thousand dollars, I
might add, I mean Olivia could have paid him off
with ashtray money. But so it did become a big,
ongoing wound. And before for Olivia, it was a wound

(01:01:37):
because it could never be healed because there was nobody
ever found, and the mystery just continued for years and years.
I mean, thankfully, she met another man and she got
married to him, John Easterling, and she was blissfully happy.
But that was always that unresolved thing of what happened
to Patrick. And now a new podcast has dropped and
it's about it's called Pseudo Side, which I'd never heard

(01:02:00):
of before. But sue those side means when you stage
or fake your own death or whatever reason.

Speaker 2 (01:02:06):
Do we know that for a fact now or not?

Speaker 4 (01:02:08):
Mean, well, we don't know that. No, And I haven't
heard the whole thing as to whether they come to
any great conclusions. I suspect they're more just investigating the possibilities.
But part of me is kind of happy that Olivia's
not around for this, because I think it would be
very upsetting for her to know that, once again this
story is being sort of trawled over and people are

(01:02:29):
making money out of it again.

Speaker 2 (01:02:30):
Okay, would be good to know what the hell happened, though, wouldn't.

Speaker 4 (01:02:33):
Well. Look, my gut feeling is it is probably a
lot simpler than any of the theories that are doing
the rounds, And my gut feeling is he probably just
slipped and drowned, and sadly nobody on the boat noticed.

Speaker 2 (01:02:47):
Gosh, amazing stuff somebody else that I've Richard's just put
it on there. I didn't know this. Richard's full of information.
Nine kids birthday today, seventy seven, mister Rod Stewart.

Speaker 4 (01:03:00):
I mean, he's he has nine kids, and I just.

Speaker 2 (01:03:02):
Think I'm sexy. Someone did, I guess that's amazing.

Speaker 4 (01:03:05):
Well, you're still one of the great entertainers. You mentioned
that concept for the Queen there back in June when
I was in London for that, and I don't think
it was one of Rod's greatest performances. And I know
he didn't want to sing Sweet Caroline anyway.

Speaker 2 (01:03:19):
I mean, has he not got rights to his own
songs or something?

Speaker 4 (01:03:23):
I heard that he was told to sing really BBC
told him to sing that.

Speaker 2 (01:03:28):
So but he's right stupid. I'm not singing a Neil
Diamond song.

Speaker 4 (01:03:34):
I've had enough when you've got such a great catalog
of your own. Why they're forcing him to sing Neil
Diamond's big signature song. But because he's doing here next
year and he'll sell out as always.

Speaker 2 (01:03:46):
Yeah, absolutely, and probably people will still think he's he's sexy.
I guess apparently he once said in the future he
won't marry again. Just find a girl he doesn't like him,
give her a house to speed it all up. He's
got a sense a humor anyway. Yeah, there you go. Well, look,
I'll tell you what. That's the land of entertainment we've

(01:04:09):
reminisced with Abba and all that sort of stuff. What
was the first Abba record you bought Peter before you go?

Speaker 4 (01:04:14):
Oh, I think it was Mum and Mia.

Speaker 2 (01:04:15):
Oh okay, at least it was a bit more up tempoed.
How well, I'm asking personal questions? How old were you
when Mama Mia came out? You shout out memory?

Speaker 4 (01:04:23):
I guess I probably was about ten or eleven. Now
I've totally dated myself, have not?

Speaker 2 (01:04:29):
We know exactly? Well, we'll have a win, that's the
big question too.

Speaker 4 (01:04:33):
Wow, that would be nice. So it kind of closed
the chapter for them because I don't think they're going
to do anything together again, particularly because this first thing
didn't quite take off. But you know, to actually finally
win a Grammy award would be a nice thing. It's
sort of unbelievable. I haven't got one on the shelf.

Speaker 2 (01:04:50):
Yeah. Well that's sort of live in inverted commas thing
that they've got going with the what is it? Apatar?

Speaker 4 (01:04:56):
Yeah, the show, the Appetite I'm going to keep going
or what I mean? Well, it's going to Cane London.
It's not something that they can move around because it's
quite an involved technical thing, you know, so it has
to stay in one place. But I think it's going
quite well for them.

Speaker 2 (01:05:11):
Yeah, okay, all right, Penna. You've probably got places to
go on, much more interesting people to talk to. Talk
to you again, very very soon. Good on, take you mate,
I have a good one.

Speaker 1 (01:05:20):
Tasmania Talks with Mic Loughlin weekday mornings from nine Tasmania
Talks Weather.

Speaker 2 (01:05:32):
On the line from the Bomb It is Luke. Get
I Luke, good morning. How are you morning, afternoon or
of the above. I'm well, I'm well. How's the weather looking.
It's looking all right here. It's a bit cloudy, but
it's not too bad.

Speaker 6 (01:05:45):
Yeah, a little bit cloudy, partly cloudy. I guess you're well.
The experts would describe it partly cloudy. Is probably mostly
cloudy down in the south, although it was a little
bit of a little bit of blue around. A few
showers today for the west coast in the south, but
it should remain fine for the most part. About a
good chunk of the north. There is a slight possibility
of a light shower about north this afternoon, but don't

(01:06:07):
expect much more likely in the northeast than as you
just heard. Partly cloudy. Top of fifteen degrees expected in
Lon Sestern. Yes, the main story today is it still
fairly cool air coming over the state.

Speaker 4 (01:06:19):
So we've still got.

Speaker 6 (01:06:20):
Some snowfalls to around eight nine hundred meters on the
plateau at the moment, but that's slowly rising throughout the
remainder of today, and we're still dealing with all the
rainfall that's fallen.

Speaker 4 (01:06:30):
The last couple of days.

Speaker 6 (01:06:31):
So there's a string of string string the flood warnings.

Speaker 2 (01:06:37):
A bunch of warnings, flock of water, A.

Speaker 6 (01:06:39):
Bunch of warnings, A bunch of water warnings. Okay, I
don't know they when all the flood warnings come in
at once, you know what they call that?

Speaker 2 (01:06:45):
What is it?

Speaker 6 (01:06:46):
A flood of warnings?

Speaker 4 (01:06:49):
Too obvious.

Speaker 6 (01:06:51):
We've got a moderate flood warning current from the mcquarie,
Jordan and South Esk rivers. The Jordan is likely to
be finalized late this afternoon, but the mcquar and Southeast
Rivers will continue throughout Today's a minor flood warning for
the Meander and the North Esk River, although the North
Esk will be finalized later today. Further south is a
generalized flood warning for the Coal River, also looking to

(01:07:11):
be finalized, and the floodwatch shaft for the Southeastern Turwent,
which will be finalized as well. We're seeing cresses probably
on the rise at the moment is one of the
places where the river's still going up. But basically we're
just dealing with the water from the last couple of
days making its way down the river systems, and thankfully
there's not much on the horizon in terms of rainfall.
Tomorrow will be slightly warmer, so lon cess than's fifteen

(01:07:33):
today Tomorrow nineteen, but remaining fine, partly cloudy. Possibility of
some light showers as well, but not really enough to
do anything other than just you know, give you a
few light spits. On Friday, very similar, just slightly warmer again.
Top of twenty one expected, so cracking into the twenties
before the end of the week, and then on Saturday
twenty one with some showers arriving later in the day.

(01:07:55):
So look like showers will come over from the northwest
during the afternoon noon and extends to most areas in
Tazzy by the end of Saturday. Looks like a pretty
wet start to the day on Sunday, so change coming through,
giving us cooler temperatures on the second half of the
weekend and potential for renewed river rises.

Speaker 2 (01:08:14):
All right, So Saturdays the peak of the days. How's
Mount Wellington looking? Is there nice coating of snow on there?

Speaker 4 (01:08:20):
A little bit left?

Speaker 6 (01:08:22):
Yeah, it's very quickly receding. I guess at this time
of the year the ground temperature is a little bit warm,
so it doesn't necessarily hold on to it as long
as it does in the cooler months. But yeah, we
had a call. They call it a Boston bun when
you get up in the morning and just sort of
sprinkles on top of the top of it.

Speaker 2 (01:08:38):
No, it's true, the chumping, chop down, chowerdown, go for it.

Speaker 6 (01:08:41):
But yeah, it's just the very top of it left
at the moment now. So yeah, certainly it's not of
a cold day.

Speaker 2 (01:08:47):
Never heard of that one before. So there you go.
We can send all those disease people from the cruise
ship up there, can't we?

Speaker 4 (01:08:54):
Yeah, us on the Boston bun.

Speaker 6 (01:08:55):
No, we're weird down here, I think.

Speaker 2 (01:08:57):
Leave them down there, your econminds, don't they? What have
we got currently, leake.

Speaker 6 (01:09:02):
In terms of in terms of other warnings.

Speaker 2 (01:09:06):
Have we done the warnings we've done the flood warnings?
Is there more warnings?

Speaker 4 (01:09:09):
Oh?

Speaker 2 (01:09:09):
Father warnings?

Speaker 4 (01:09:09):
Yeah?

Speaker 6 (01:09:10):
Sorry, Bush. It's still out for the central plateau. Strong
winds still around for the upper East and lower East coast,
but that did no warnings for tomorrow than those floods.
In terms of current temperatures, it's thirteen at the moment
in Launceestern, so a couple of degrees shy of the maxx.
Fourteen in Devonport, thirteen in Winyard, twelve on King Island,
fourteen Flinders Islands, thood in half in Saint Helens, and

(01:09:31):
only eleven degrees in Strawn at the moment.

Speaker 4 (01:09:34):
Out on the.

Speaker 6 (01:09:34):
Waters today, easing situation generally south to southwesterly winds fifteen
to twenty five knots, reaching up to thirty knots at
times about the East coast. Tomorrow winds will be southwesterly
ten to twenty knots, tending a bit more westerly through
Bass Strait. The swell today and tomorrow's fairly consistent, so
southwesterly about the west and south two to three meters
a bit confused through Bass straight combination of a light

(01:09:56):
westerly sort of below a meter and an easterly below
sort of half meter as well. Up the East coast,
we've got a fairly stock standard, subtly one to two
meter swell as well.

Speaker 2 (01:10:05):
Easy as our people with the boats. We'll be happy
to hear that. All right, Luke, you have a good one,
won't you. Yeah, I certainly will you too. No way,
that's the look from the weather Bureau. The bomb. I'll
call it the bomb.

Speaker 1 (01:10:15):
Has Mania talks with mic O Loughlin weekday mornings from
nine many A Talk Sport thanks to Tamar Higher.

Speaker 2 (01:10:26):
And on the line, he's got his basketball clothes on.
Apparently it's Brent Castillo.

Speaker 4 (01:10:30):
Good.

Speaker 2 (01:10:30):
I Brent, yah, he I'm all right, you have to
play basketball?

Speaker 10 (01:10:34):
I hear no, No, just a press conference, so I'll
be buying that. Jack Jumbers are about to hold a
press corner in the next couple of minutes, so I
have to make this snappy.

Speaker 2 (01:10:42):
Unfortunately, Oh okay, I haven't messed around too much. So
what do you reckon? They're going to say in there?
What's theyre going to You don't know? I suppose No,
I don't know.

Speaker 10 (01:10:50):
I don't but we actually I'll probably do quince THORNI
has race Thorn, which is really good news. For the
last two years he's been signed up for, which is good.
So I'm looking forward to seeing him remain in the
state for a couple of years, which is really exciting.
He's been an integral part of the Jack Dumbers and
what they are all about as captain, so that's really
good news. And of course they've got their first gaming

(01:11:10):
Montesson for the season coming up on Friday night, the
first of two matches they hadn't want to be in January,
So you've had a loose end Friday night and I
think I think it's pretty scarce, but try and get
along as you can.

Speaker 2 (01:11:21):
Okay, probably something interesting. Isaac Humphreys. What's the story with him?
He's that come out.

Speaker 10 (01:11:27):
Yeah, huge story to come out today, the first player
to openly come out as gay as a basketball so
professional basketball should say. So that's a huge story and
a lot of respect for him to come out and
do that. He's been highly praised even as.

Speaker 4 (01:11:41):
Far as the NBA.

Speaker 10 (01:11:42):
The NBAS got right around him as well, which is
really good to see. So he will no doubt help
a lot of people, that's for sure, and it's a
brave decision by him to come out.

Speaker 3 (01:11:50):
And do that.

Speaker 2 (01:11:50):
Yeah, gutsy, gutsy. I hope it goes well for him,
and I hope he doesn't get too much. I don't know, crap, really,
that's sort of how it goes. That's exactly right, but
it takes more and more. What else is happening in
the land of sport, Brent, yea.

Speaker 4 (01:12:03):
It'll been going on.

Speaker 10 (01:12:04):
We caught up with Tasmini and Foker's create coach Jeff
Vourn this morning and they've got a one day game
coming up tomorrow against New South Wales. Unfortunately, the Sheffield
Chill game was washed out yesterday unfortunately after two days
of heavy raining Hobart, so that didn't really help. But
they got the chance to play a one day game tomorrow,
which is really exciting. And our girls unfortunately went down
yesterday to WBL girls to the Melbourne Stars up at

(01:12:26):
the Trobe, so they get the chance to redeem themselves
this afternoon with another game at three o'clock. So hopefully
we get back on the winners list because we probably
should have won that one yesterday.

Speaker 2 (01:12:34):
A name that we kind of got sick of at
one stage it got it became really really embarrassing Novak
Djokovic or Djokovic as the Americans saying, what's this he's
allowed to play now, isn't that strange?

Speaker 10 (01:12:47):
Yeah, it looks like there's been a turn of events
that were allowed to play this stay and open. So
obviously it was a big story earlier this year when
he wasn't allowed to.

Speaker 2 (01:12:55):
Play this year or last year. It was a while ago.

Speaker 10 (01:12:58):
Yeah, it was this one last the one earlier this year. Yeah,
so obviously it was a big story. Though. He came
out to Australia and he was sort of locked up
in that hotel room for a while and went sure
what was going on? But yeah, to turn around the
decision is pretty big.

Speaker 4 (01:13:11):
Isn't it.

Speaker 2 (01:13:11):
It's bizarre. It kind of makes you wonder what the
hell all that other stuff was about. It's just just
just embarrassing, I would have thought. But anyway, he's probably
having a good laugh over it, I suppose now in hindsight.
But yeah, anyway, as a stranger man, all right, it
sounds like you've got to be somewhere. Is there anything
else we should know before you run away? It sounds

(01:13:31):
like you're clattering things. What are you doing?

Speaker 4 (01:13:34):
I don't think.

Speaker 10 (01:13:35):
Yeah, I'm under the pump a little bit. I apologize
for that, but unfortunately press Cormerce is colloid at the
same time, which is an ideal. But yeah, I'll talk
to you all.

Speaker 2 (01:13:45):
Right, No worries it all. Brent Costello from the water Boys,
talk to you soon.

Speaker 3 (01:13:48):
Have a good run by.

Speaker 2 (01:13:49):
He's off to his press conference. I'm sure it'll be
much more entertaining than me at twenty two to twelve

Speaker 1 (01:13:54):
Has many a talk with mic O Laughlin weekday mornings
from nine