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Speaker 1: We learned yesterday through that press conference with the Acting

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Speaker 1: Chief Minister, Nicole Madison, that there is going to be

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Speaker 1: some changes when it comes to testing, not only here

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Speaker 1: in the Northern Territory, but it sounds as it's going

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Speaker 1: to be changes right around the nation and essentially recent

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Speaker 1: arrivals will self administer those rapid antigen tests on day

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Speaker 1: three and day six of arriving in the Northern Territory

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Speaker 1: rather than lining up for a PCR test. You do

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Speaker 1: still need to make sure that you've had a PCR

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Speaker 1: test if you are returning into the Northern Territory, so

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Speaker 1: seventy two hours before you return to the territory. But

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Speaker 1: joining us on the line to tell us a little

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Speaker 1: bit more about how this is going to sort of

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Speaker 1: happen from that real operational perspective, Well, it is Robin Karl,

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Speaker 1: the CEO of the Palmerston GP Superclinic. Good morning to.

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Speaker 2: You, Robin, Good morning Katie.

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Speaker 1: Robin. You called it early when we spoke to you

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Speaker 1: earlier in the week. You had seid that maybe we

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Speaker 1: need to move down this path, and well that's the

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Speaker 1: path that they seem to be going down.

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Speaker 2: Now and thank goodness for that. I think it was

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Speaker 2: a very very smart move to make that change yesterday,

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Speaker 2: and I think there are a lot of very relieved

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Speaker 2: people because getting a PCR test has proven extremely difficult

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Speaker 2: for people who've come into the territory and also for

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Speaker 2: the people who are working to actually do those tests.

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Speaker 2: It's been just an absolute nightmare few days. So I

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Speaker 2: think there are a lot of very relief people this

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Speaker 2: morning because we now have a situation that is going

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Speaker 2: to be far more manageable.

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Speaker 1: Robin. How big an impact will this have in a

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Speaker 1: positive way for those laboratories and for pathology in you know,

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Speaker 1: when it comes to sort of processing those tests.

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Speaker 2: I think it's absolutely critical. One of the biggest challenges

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Speaker 2: that we were finding over the last few days is

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Speaker 2: that the people who truly needed a PCR test, so

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Speaker 2: those people who are unwell and showing symptoms, were really

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Speaker 2: struggling to access them. So the whole system that's designed

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Speaker 2: to assist people who are unwell was absolutely not able

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Speaker 2: to do that. Now we've got a situation where those

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Speaker 2: people are going to get the priority that they deserve

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Speaker 2: so we can find out what's going on with them.

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Speaker 2: And really we should be focusing not just in the territory,

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Speaker 2: but across the country on those people who are unwell

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Speaker 2: and those people who need hospitalization. We really need to

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Speaker 2: start thinking about stop counting how many people are having

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Speaker 2: COVID tests, and we also need to start asking a

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Speaker 2: question about what's the validity of testing people who are

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Speaker 2: asymptomatic if they've possibly been out and about in the

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Speaker 2: community with omicron, which they're saying now is infectious period

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Speaker 2: in the first couple of days. By the time they

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Speaker 2: go to have a test, it's too late anyway. So

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Speaker 2: we really are in that position now where we really

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Speaker 2: do need to start rethinking our strategy and our approach

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Speaker 2: to COVID and how we manage it, and we really

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Speaker 2: started to need to start focusing on those people who

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Speaker 2: are unwell and looking after them.

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Speaker 1: Robin. At this point in time, has there been much

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Speaker 1: communication from the government with these changes to the likes

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Speaker 1: of the Palmeston GP Superclinic in terms of where people

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Speaker 1: can get those rat tests from. Do you just go

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Speaker 1: to the chemist and buy your own Are you meant to,

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Speaker 1: you know, to come into the likes of the GP

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Speaker 1: Superclinic to collect them? How's it all going to work?

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Speaker 2: It has been a little bit frustrating, I think because

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Speaker 2: most people who've gone to the anti government website will

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Speaker 2: see that it's basically saying hold on the information's coming soon. Fortunately,

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Speaker 2: I do actually have a good line of communication with

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Speaker 2: the department, and I have been able to check with

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Speaker 2: them this morning about what the processes will be. So generically,

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Speaker 2: people arriving are going to be given their rapid andergin

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Speaker 2: tests so that they're able to comply with the testing regime.

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Speaker 2: That people who are already here have the opportunity to

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Speaker 2: book at Marra drives through to collect a rapid andergin

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Speaker 2: test skit. And we've also been advised this morning that

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Speaker 2: we're approved to be able to distribute those rapid andergin

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Speaker 2: tests kits as well, So I'm very pleased about that

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Speaker 2: because it will make it some more accessible for people.

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Speaker 2: And of course the other alternative is people don't want

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Speaker 2: to travel to themar or they don't want to come

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Speaker 2: out to Palmerston, they can actually purchase one at your

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Speaker 2: local chemist. And I understand that there's going to be

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Speaker 2: a process implemented to enable people to demonstrate that that

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Speaker 2: actually complied with the requirement to have the rat test.

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Speaker 2: And I'm not clear on the actual parameters of that yet,

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Speaker 2: but I'm sure we'll see something on the Anti Government

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Speaker 2: website within the next couple of hours. We'll make it

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Speaker 2: a little clearer for people.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, sometimes it does seem to take a little while

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Speaker 1: for that information that's announced at a press conference to you

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Speaker 1: to go on those official channels for everyday people to

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Speaker 1: be able to jump on and sort of have a

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Speaker 1: look and have a read of how it's all going

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Speaker 1: to work.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, there really is a sense of running to keep

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Speaker 2: up with some of these things, and I think probably

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Speaker 2: one of the greatest challenges that we've experienced in the

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Speaker 2: last six to eight weeks is the communication has lagged

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Speaker 2: behind the announcements, and I'm really not sure why that's happened.

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Speaker 2: One would hope that there's collaboration going within the Northern

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Speaker 2: Territory government with the departments who have been tasked to

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Speaker 2: do this work. And I know that the people in

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Speaker 2: those departments are working really really hard to get things

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Speaker 2: in place, So it would just be great if we

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Speaker 2: could do things at the same time. So it'd be

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Speaker 2: great if there was a press announcement and then within

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Speaker 2: the next half hour everything went live on the website

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Speaker 2: for whatever reason that's not happening at the moment, but

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Speaker 2: where we can, we'll get the information out and let

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Speaker 2: people know what's going on. But the good news is

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Speaker 2: people can go and get their kit at Marara. They

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Speaker 2: can come to our clinic and collect a kit and

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Speaker 2: gets almost their Christmas.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, hold it absolutely and Robin, are they they're free

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Speaker 1: to pick up as.

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Speaker 2: Well, are they? That's correct? Yes, So when we've been

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Speaker 2: provided with kits by the department to be able to

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Speaker 2: hand people, I think the one remaining thing that's going

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Speaker 2: to be quite challenging across the country is this requirement

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Speaker 2: to have the full PCR test within the seven is

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Speaker 2: two hours before you arrive in whichever state or territory

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Speaker 2: you have to do that for here in the territory,

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Speaker 2: it's everybody in no matter where they come from. I'm

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Speaker 2: getting some feedback from people who have arrived and have

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Speaker 2: come here for the subsequent tests that it's been a

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Speaker 2: little difficult for them to get tests in some of

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Speaker 2: the interstate testing facilities. Becauses the demand that's being put

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Speaker 2: onto those testing facilities as well. So hopefully we'll see

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Speaker 2: a similar situation in other states and territories where there's

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Speaker 2: a bit more of a move to the rapid and

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Speaker 2: and testing so that alleviates the burden on the pathology

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Speaker 2: system as well as the testing facilities.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, well, at these times we're sort of seeing each

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Speaker 1: and every day there's massive changes, you know, each and

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Speaker 1: every day and each and every week, So it may

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Speaker 1: only be a matter of days, Robin. We'll have to

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Speaker 1: wait and see.

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Speaker 2: True enough. And I think one of the other things

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Speaker 2: that's worth mentioning good new is out of the UK

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Speaker 2: today finding that the initial data is showing that ONM

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Speaker 2: kron is having a reduced hospitalization compared to DELTA. So

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Speaker 2: I think if we keep progressing down that track, we'll

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Speaker 2: just see life a step closer to manageable and more

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Speaker 2: what we consider normal in the not too distant future,

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Speaker 2: which will be a great release to everybody.

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Speaker 1: It sure will be. Well, Robin Carl, the CEO of

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Speaker 1: the Palmerston GP Superclinic, thanks so much for your time

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Speaker 1: this morning. Thanks so much for your time all throughout

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Speaker 1: the year as well. We really appreciate it and I

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Speaker 1: hope you have a lovely Christmas.

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Speaker 2: Absolute pleasure Coating and the same to you.

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Speaker 1: Thank you