1
00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,000
Speaker 1: He's just on nine point thirty deb in Pineland's messaging

2
00:00:03,040 --> 00:00:05,400
Speaker 1: a short time ago morning Deb and it says this

3
00:00:05,440 --> 00:00:08,920
Speaker 1: country is a joke. We are all Australians. Why do

4
00:00:09,039 --> 00:00:13,000
Speaker 1: we have to beg and sniffle to the FEDS for assistance?

5
00:00:13,039 --> 00:00:16,439
Speaker 1: We all pay tax. The Defense Force absolutely should be

6
00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:19,800
Speaker 1: helping and they are also getting paid to assist Australians

7
00:00:19,880 --> 00:00:23,360
Speaker 1: all ready. Why should the Northern Territory be slugged with

8
00:00:23,400 --> 00:00:26,520
Speaker 1: a massive bill by the Defense Force in the middle

9
00:00:26,600 --> 00:00:30,240
Speaker 1: of these flood situations and a natural disaster, dead bloody

10
00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:34,040
Speaker 1: good question. And look, the Chief Minister sounded fairly positive

11
00:00:34,080 --> 00:00:36,360
Speaker 1: about it, making it sound as though hopefully that he's

12
00:00:36,440 --> 00:00:38,720
Speaker 1: not going to be the case. But look, I would

13
00:00:38,720 --> 00:00:41,440
Speaker 1: think that it's a bit ridiculous. I mean, those Defense

14
00:00:41,479 --> 00:00:44,000
Speaker 1: Force personnel you would assume are based out there at

15
00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:47,120
Speaker 1: Tyndall anyway, and part of the community and wanting to help,

16
00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:51,519
Speaker 1: I would imagine. Now we also know that Correctional Services

17
00:00:51,520 --> 00:00:54,800
Speaker 1: staff have headed down to Catherine to help out. Now

18
00:00:54,880 --> 00:00:58,840
Speaker 1: joining us on the line is the Corrections Commissioner, Matthew Varley.

19
00:00:58,960 --> 00:01:03,360
Speaker 2: Good morning to you, Good morning Katie, and goodadia listeners.

20
00:01:03,400 --> 00:01:05,919
Speaker 1: Now, Commissioner, thanks so much for your time this morning.

21
00:01:06,440 --> 00:01:10,440
Speaker 1: First off, let's talk about those fourteen people that have

22
00:01:10,640 --> 00:01:14,039
Speaker 1: headed down to Catherine. Who exactly has gone down.

23
00:01:13,920 --> 00:01:18,279
Speaker 2: To help Katie. We've been helping with the flood relief

24
00:01:18,280 --> 00:01:21,840
Speaker 2: efforts for a while now. Obviously we're well practiced at

25
00:01:21,840 --> 00:01:25,480
Speaker 2: helping to set up and manage and support the evacuation

26
00:01:25,680 --> 00:01:29,000
Speaker 2: centers in Darwin, and obviously after the Alice Springs floods,

27
00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:30,640
Speaker 2: we were helping with a clean up down there. But

28
00:01:31,560 --> 00:01:36,119
Speaker 2: we've deployed additional work crews from Darwin down to Catherine

29
00:01:36,200 --> 00:01:39,440
Speaker 2: this morning and they'll be helping to clean up the

30
00:01:39,480 --> 00:01:42,119
Speaker 2: town as wherever we're directed, and you know obviously things

31
00:01:42,200 --> 00:01:46,760
Speaker 2: like shoveling, rubbish, pressure cleaning, taking rubbish to the tip, etc.

32
00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:50,400
Speaker 2: So we've got that first trunk crew going down and

33
00:01:50,400 --> 00:01:53,120
Speaker 2: we're very glad to help and we'll see how things

34
00:01:53,200 --> 00:01:54,240
Speaker 2: go over the next few days.

35
00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:56,280
Speaker 1: That is good news. So it's the work crews that

36
00:01:56,320 --> 00:01:58,480
Speaker 1: are down there. How many is it fourteen or is

37
00:01:58,520 --> 00:01:59,280
Speaker 1: it a bit more than that.

38
00:02:00,480 --> 00:02:04,040
Speaker 2: We've started off with that Katie and four staff and

39
00:02:04,080 --> 00:02:07,080
Speaker 2: those officers are used to doing this kind of work

40
00:02:07,080 --> 00:02:09,760
Speaker 2: and supervising and directing traffic. If you like with those

41
00:02:09,919 --> 00:02:12,760
Speaker 2: work crews. We would have liked to have sent more.

42
00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:15,520
Speaker 2: Our original plan was twenty, but we'll see what we

43
00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:17,880
Speaker 2: can muster up. Obviously, we've got our hands full on

44
00:02:17,919 --> 00:02:19,959
Speaker 2: a range of different fronts, but if we can help

45
00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:22,400
Speaker 2: down in Catherine over the next couple of weeks, we

46
00:02:22,440 --> 00:02:23,440
Speaker 2: absolutely will well.

47
00:02:23,440 --> 00:02:27,080
Speaker 1: And Commissioner, one of those fronts is, indeed, this twelve

48
00:02:27,080 --> 00:02:30,840
Speaker 1: hour strike that's been planned by correctional officers. It's set

49
00:02:30,880 --> 00:02:34,920
Speaker 1: to force Theella Springs Prison into full lockdown this coming Friday.

50
00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:38,600
Speaker 1: So the United Workers Union notifying the Northern Territory Department

51
00:02:38,639 --> 00:02:43,200
Speaker 1: of Corrections of this planned work stoppage on Friday. Commissioner,

52
00:02:43,240 --> 00:02:45,640
Speaker 1: you've said that the action is going to place the

53
00:02:45,680 --> 00:02:50,239
Speaker 1: prison into emergency conditions. Tell me what this is going

54
00:02:50,280 --> 00:02:53,440
Speaker 1: to mean if this strike action goes ahead on Friday.

55
00:02:54,600 --> 00:02:57,880
Speaker 2: Well, let's be really clear, Katie. The strike action is

56
00:02:57,960 --> 00:03:00,480
Speaker 2: going ahead to the best of our knowledge and planning,

57
00:03:00,600 --> 00:03:05,040
Speaker 2: and we've been working with an incident management planning team

58
00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:08,320
Speaker 2: since we receive that notice, so we are planning for

59
00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:11,480
Speaker 2: it to happen. What that will mean is that our

60
00:03:11,480 --> 00:03:15,200
Speaker 2: prison population in our Springs will be run in full

61
00:03:15,240 --> 00:03:17,680
Speaker 2: lockdown mode from the time they go to bed on

62
00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:22,720
Speaker 2: Thursday night all through Friday, and then obviously we unlock

63
00:03:22,760 --> 00:03:25,320
Speaker 2: them on Saturday morning when the next day shift comes

64
00:03:25,360 --> 00:03:28,280
Speaker 2: back online. So it sounds like a twelve hour strike, Katie,

65
00:03:28,320 --> 00:03:30,560
Speaker 2: what we're really talking about is a thirty six hour

66
00:03:30,600 --> 00:03:34,920
Speaker 2: lockdown period and our officers who are left behind, that's

67
00:03:34,920 --> 00:03:39,240
Speaker 2: our hard working managers and some support staff will be

68
00:03:39,320 --> 00:03:42,760
Speaker 2: working to make sure we can focus on essential services. Now.

69
00:03:42,800 --> 00:03:45,960
Speaker 2: What we mean there is safety and security, medical and food,

70
00:03:46,360 --> 00:03:47,960
Speaker 2: and that's our priority for that period.

71
00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:53,520
Speaker 1: I mean, I totally respect workers and their rights, you know,

72
00:03:53,640 --> 00:03:56,240
Speaker 1: to take industrial action, but I just don't think that

73
00:03:56,320 --> 00:04:00,520
Speaker 1: the timing is going to be acceptable a lot of

74
00:04:00,600 --> 00:04:03,360
Speaker 1: territory and standards at this point. I mean, in Alice

75
00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:08,000
Speaker 1: Springs today, we've got concerns around around flooding in Central Australia.

76
00:04:08,200 --> 00:04:10,760
Speaker 1: We've obviously got the situation that we've seen in Catherine,

77
00:04:10,800 --> 00:04:15,040
Speaker 1: like we are experiencing an unprecedented situation in the Northern

78
00:04:15,120 --> 00:04:17,839
Speaker 1: Territory right now. I just don't think it's the right time.

79
00:04:19,120 --> 00:04:21,960
Speaker 2: Well, and this is the key point, Katie, And what

80
00:04:22,040 --> 00:04:25,239
Speaker 2: this is is an attempt by the union to focus

81
00:04:25,320 --> 00:04:29,520
Speaker 2: public attention on their campaign. Now you're absolutely right. We

82
00:04:29,560 --> 00:04:32,480
Speaker 2: respect the rights of the union to negotiate, to bargain,

83
00:04:32,600 --> 00:04:36,039
Speaker 2: to fight for the conditions of their workers, and we

84
00:04:36,080 --> 00:04:39,480
Speaker 2: would absolutely respect them. We've been involved in bargaining with

85
00:04:39,520 --> 00:04:42,920
Speaker 2: them for months now. What's happened, Katie, is we've gone

86
00:04:42,960 --> 00:04:47,000
Speaker 2: out to a vote on the enterprise agreement itself. That

87
00:04:47,120 --> 00:04:50,320
Speaker 2: vote opens tomorrow and closes I think in about ten

88
00:04:50,400 --> 00:04:54,400
Speaker 2: days time. So this is the union's endeavor to try

89
00:04:54,440 --> 00:04:57,839
Speaker 2: to create media attention and try to create a campaign

90
00:04:57,839 --> 00:05:02,560
Speaker 2: of momentum, and ultimately we'll see how that vote rolls out,

91
00:05:02,600 --> 00:05:04,400
Speaker 2: but you can expect, you know, where the union will

92
00:05:04,400 --> 00:05:07,520
Speaker 2: put its position. So we've been trying to get the

93
00:05:07,600 --> 00:05:12,560
Speaker 2: unions to agree to a series of improved conditions and

94
00:05:12,600 --> 00:05:15,599
Speaker 2: a three percent pay rise over well per three percent

95
00:05:15,600 --> 00:05:18,719
Speaker 2: pay rise, Katie, each year for four years, and that

96
00:05:18,800 --> 00:05:21,479
Speaker 2: equals twelve point five five percent over the life of

97
00:05:21,480 --> 00:05:24,560
Speaker 2: that agreement. So there's a whole other bunch of conditions

98
00:05:24,560 --> 00:05:27,120
Speaker 2: that are improved in that. But the union has said no,

99
00:05:27,240 --> 00:05:29,720
Speaker 2: we're seeking a six percent wage rise, and that's why

100
00:05:29,800 --> 00:05:30,920
Speaker 2: they've started this campaign.

101
00:05:31,080 --> 00:05:33,640
Speaker 1: Commissioner, do you believe that the deal that's been put

102
00:05:33,640 --> 00:05:34,880
Speaker 1: on the table is a fair one.

103
00:05:36,160 --> 00:05:38,359
Speaker 2: I absolutely do, Katie, and we've said that all the

104
00:05:38,360 --> 00:05:41,919
Speaker 2: way through, and so too has the Commissioner for Public Employment.

105
00:05:43,040 --> 00:05:45,480
Speaker 2: And we need to remember this deal in the context

106
00:05:45,560 --> 00:05:49,960
Speaker 2: of the last enterprise agreement that was I guess signed

107
00:05:49,960 --> 00:05:52,320
Speaker 2: in early twenty three and I was here for that one,

108
00:05:52,400 --> 00:05:55,679
Speaker 2: and that was backdated from December I think twenty twenty

109
00:05:55,680 --> 00:05:59,080
Speaker 2: one through to December twenty twenty five, and that deal

110
00:05:59,200 --> 00:06:03,680
Speaker 2: KD represented a pay increase in real terms of over

111
00:06:03,720 --> 00:06:06,320
Speaker 2: those four years of almost five percent per year. So

112
00:06:06,800 --> 00:06:08,640
Speaker 2: this new offer is off the back of that old

113
00:06:08,640 --> 00:06:11,800
Speaker 2: one and it makes our corrections officers some of the

114
00:06:11,800 --> 00:06:14,880
Speaker 2: best paid in Australia. Now, of course we need them

115
00:06:14,880 --> 00:06:17,080
Speaker 2: to do a great job. They do do a great job,

116
00:06:17,240 --> 00:06:21,160
Speaker 2: and most of the officers I speak to enjoy supporting

117
00:06:21,240 --> 00:06:23,800
Speaker 2: their work for the community. What this is about is

118
00:06:23,839 --> 00:06:28,960
Speaker 2: the union campaigning for what its members want, but ultimately

119
00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:31,080
Speaker 2: I think they've chosen the wrong time to do it.

120
00:06:31,320 --> 00:06:33,520
Speaker 1: Well, we'll wait and see, I guess what happens throughout

121
00:06:33,560 --> 00:06:35,680
Speaker 1: that vote, but it is going to be interesting to

122
00:06:35,720 --> 00:06:39,160
Speaker 1: see if this industrial action does still happen on Friday.

123
00:06:39,400 --> 00:06:42,520
Speaker 1: If it does, Commissioner, what is it going to mean

124
00:06:42,839 --> 00:06:44,960
Speaker 1: in terms of those work crews that you've got in

125
00:06:45,040 --> 00:06:48,240
Speaker 1: Catherine at the moment, and in terms of you know,

126
00:06:48,440 --> 00:06:51,520
Speaker 1: the prison in Alice Springs going into lockdown.

127
00:06:52,880 --> 00:06:55,600
Speaker 2: Yes, so let's start with the work cruise, Katie. Is

128
00:06:55,640 --> 00:06:59,040
Speaker 2: that we were planning and we've been supporting the flood

129
00:06:59,040 --> 00:07:01,359
Speaker 2: relief efforts for a while. We were planning obviously to

130
00:07:01,440 --> 00:07:04,760
Speaker 2: scale up our efforts in that space. But it means

131
00:07:05,600 --> 00:07:07,880
Speaker 2: I'm now planning on a number of different fronts, and

132
00:07:07,920 --> 00:07:10,880
Speaker 2: what that ultimately does is restricts the number of people

133
00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:14,400
Speaker 2: I can sent to Catherine. So we now are having

134
00:07:14,400 --> 00:07:17,680
Speaker 2: to plan to fly people from Darwin to Alice Springs

135
00:07:17,680 --> 00:07:20,920
Speaker 2: to support the operations of that strike on Thursday, Friday

136
00:07:20,960 --> 00:07:24,440
Speaker 2: and into Saturday. So we're splitting our workforce a little bit,

137
00:07:24,520 --> 00:07:29,080
Speaker 2: of course. But ultimately, if the Chief Minister and the

138
00:07:29,120 --> 00:07:32,240
Speaker 2: Government asks me for work crews to continue to expand

139
00:07:32,240 --> 00:07:34,280
Speaker 2: down in there, we'll do that as best we can.

140
00:07:34,360 --> 00:07:37,160
Speaker 2: But I've given her a very clear briefing and the

141
00:07:37,200 --> 00:07:39,320
Speaker 2: Government a very very clear briefing that we are in

142
00:07:39,360 --> 00:07:42,160
Speaker 2: a wait and see game. Because let's not forget Katie,

143
00:07:42,160 --> 00:07:44,680
Speaker 2: that any day now the Union could provide me with

144
00:07:44,760 --> 00:07:47,680
Speaker 2: more notices of strikes right across the northern territory.

145
00:07:47,720 --> 00:07:49,000
Speaker 1: Do you think they're going to do that?

146
00:07:50,440 --> 00:07:52,640
Speaker 2: Well, that's what we've been told, Katie. We were told

147
00:07:52,720 --> 00:07:55,720
Speaker 2: last week that there was intentions to issue strikes in

148
00:07:56,240 --> 00:07:59,360
Speaker 2: Darwin en Burrema. They haven't done that at this stage,

149
00:07:59,400 --> 00:08:02,080
Speaker 2: but they are required to give us six business days

150
00:08:02,160 --> 00:08:03,600
Speaker 2: notice of any next strip.

151
00:08:04,160 --> 00:08:06,960
Speaker 1: All right, well, Corrections Commissioner Matthew Varley, I guess we'll

152
00:08:06,960 --> 00:08:10,960
Speaker 1: all keep a really close eye on things. I appreciate

153
00:08:11,000 --> 00:08:13,040
Speaker 1: your time this morning. Thank you very much for having

154
00:08:13,040 --> 00:08:14,000
Speaker 1: a chat with us.

155
00:08:14,520 --> 00:08:15,120
Speaker 2: Have a great week.

156
00:08:15,480 --> 00:08:16,160
Speaker 1: Thank you you too,