1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:03,240 Speaker 1: We know that Parliament continues to sit this week. But 2 00:00:03,360 --> 00:00:05,520 Speaker 1: joining me on the line right now is Bill Yan. 3 00:00:05,840 --> 00:00:10,640 Speaker 1: He's the Opposition spokesperson for Health. Good morning to you, Bill, Good. 4 00:00:10,520 --> 00:00:12,200 Speaker 2: Morning Katie, good morning to your listeners. 5 00:00:12,280 --> 00:00:14,600 Speaker 1: Now, Bill, we know that those COVID numbers are on 6 00:00:14,640 --> 00:00:17,000 Speaker 1: the rise at the moment, and I understand that you 7 00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:20,520 Speaker 1: would like to see one of the testing facilities reopened. 8 00:00:21,880 --> 00:00:24,120 Speaker 2: Yeah. Look, if you look at the men of COVID 9 00:00:24,200 --> 00:00:27,960 Speaker 2: case we're seeing increasing with the bafour and BA five variants, 10 00:00:29,240 --> 00:00:31,400 Speaker 2: I think it probably would be prudent, particularly up here 11 00:00:31,640 --> 00:00:34,040 Speaker 2: in the top end, to open up one of those 12 00:00:34,080 --> 00:00:38,800 Speaker 2: testing centers again so people can get access to appropriate testing. 13 00:00:39,479 --> 00:00:42,480 Speaker 2: Sometimes now with the closing of these centers here and 14 00:00:42,520 --> 00:00:45,319 Speaker 2: certainly in Central Australia and across the territory, it's very 15 00:00:45,400 --> 00:00:49,800 Speaker 2: very hard now to access rapid engine tests. People are 16 00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:53,800 Speaker 2: probably not accessing those sets. People could be sick and 17 00:00:54,720 --> 00:00:58,319 Speaker 2: being out in our community and spreading COVID further. So 18 00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:00,640 Speaker 2: I think it's probably good idea to get one of 19 00:01:00,640 --> 00:01:03,720 Speaker 2: those testing facilities back open again for the people who 20 00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:05,039 Speaker 2: are top in so they can get in there and 21 00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:07,680 Speaker 2: get tested easily. And also, of course if they need 22 00:01:07,720 --> 00:01:09,200 Speaker 2: to pick up rapid engine tests. 23 00:01:09,560 --> 00:01:11,640 Speaker 1: Well, yeah, it makes it a bit easier I suppose, 24 00:01:11,720 --> 00:01:14,560 Speaker 1: for people to get their hands on a test if required, 25 00:01:15,240 --> 00:01:17,560 Speaker 1: and we know as well build it. There is obviously 26 00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:21,039 Speaker 1: that additional strain then on our hospitals with people ending 27 00:01:21,120 --> 00:01:22,720 Speaker 1: up in hospital with COVID. 28 00:01:23,959 --> 00:01:25,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, well that's right. If you look at what we 29 00:01:25,800 --> 00:01:27,680 Speaker 2: had yesday, four hundred and seventy on a four hundred 30 00:01:27,680 --> 00:01:31,080 Speaker 2: and ninety one new cases yesterday, that's starting to increase 31 00:01:31,319 --> 00:01:35,320 Speaker 2: their levels that we've seen back in I think late 32 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:39,199 Speaker 2: November early December last year, and of course we ramped 33 00:01:39,240 --> 00:01:42,520 Speaker 2: up to those thousand plus cases a day, those numbers 34 00:01:43,240 --> 00:01:45,319 Speaker 2: increasing quite a bit, and of course we've got seventy 35 00:01:45,319 --> 00:01:48,680 Speaker 2: six in hospital as of yesterday and one in ICU. 36 00:01:48,840 --> 00:01:52,600 Speaker 2: So health systems under pressure that had been under pressure 37 00:01:52,640 --> 00:01:56,240 Speaker 2: for ages. This increase in COVID cases is just putting 38 00:01:56,480 --> 00:01:59,960 Speaker 2: further pressure on our hospitals and on our health workers. 39 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:03,560 Speaker 2: So anything that we can do to help those people 40 00:02:03,560 --> 00:02:07,240 Speaker 2: out and those health teams out certainly needs to be considered. 41 00:02:07,640 --> 00:02:10,079 Speaker 1: Bill. One of the other big issues that we're grappling 42 00:02:10,120 --> 00:02:13,800 Speaker 1: with at the moment is anti social behavior and crime. 43 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:16,400 Speaker 1: I think that's the whole of the Northern Territory and 44 00:02:16,480 --> 00:02:20,160 Speaker 1: half of Australia saw that vision from Woolworth CBD as 45 00:02:20,200 --> 00:02:23,920 Speaker 1: that was shared around the place yesterday. Mate, I know 46 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:28,720 Speaker 1: that the colp and our calling for this two kilometer 47 00:02:28,800 --> 00:02:30,559 Speaker 1: rule to be reinstated. 48 00:02:31,919 --> 00:02:34,880 Speaker 2: Yeah, look that vision from Woolly's here in the Darwin 49 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:39,359 Speaker 2: CBD the other day was absolutely frightening, Katie. And sadly 50 00:02:39,400 --> 00:02:42,800 Speaker 2: we see it all too often. And we've seen watering 51 00:02:42,880 --> 00:02:47,200 Speaker 2: back of our alcohol laws by the Labor government now 52 00:02:47,240 --> 00:02:50,520 Speaker 2: since way back in twenty nineteen, and they quietly got 53 00:02:50,600 --> 00:02:53,640 Speaker 2: rid of the whole two kilometer law just back before 54 00:02:53,760 --> 00:02:58,960 Speaker 2: Christmas of two and nine of twenty twenty, and that 55 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:02,399 Speaker 2: took away a lot of power that the police had 56 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:06,360 Speaker 2: to deal with people consuming alcohol in and around those 57 00:03:06,480 --> 00:03:11,840 Speaker 2: takeaway alcohol outlet's all other pubs and clubs. Now, the 58 00:03:11,880 --> 00:03:14,720 Speaker 2: police lost a lot of those powers. Bringing that two 59 00:03:14,800 --> 00:03:17,959 Speaker 2: kilometer back bring some of those powers back to police 60 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:20,079 Speaker 2: to actually take some action, because at the moment, all 61 00:03:20,080 --> 00:03:22,920 Speaker 2: I can do if they possibly find someone is tip 62 00:03:23,160 --> 00:03:25,919 Speaker 2: growd out and they can't do anything else. Bringing these 63 00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:29,440 Speaker 2: laws back gives police some powers to actually take some action, 64 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:33,200 Speaker 2: actually do something and maybe do something about this anti 65 00:03:33,280 --> 00:03:37,040 Speaker 2: social behavior we're seeing on our streets and in and 66 00:03:37,080 --> 00:03:41,280 Speaker 2: around the CBD of not just Darwin Palms and Casurina, 67 00:03:41,320 --> 00:03:43,720 Speaker 2: but Catherine Tanner Creek and Eli Spluth. 68 00:03:44,320 --> 00:03:46,400 Speaker 1: Well, we did catch up with the Chamber of Commerce 69 00:03:46,520 --> 00:03:49,200 Speaker 1: just a bit earlier this morning, and the CEO of 70 00:03:49,240 --> 00:03:51,960 Speaker 1: the Chamber did say, yeah, you know, while it was 71 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:54,720 Speaker 1: terrible what we've seen in Darwin CBD this week, this 72 00:03:54,800 --> 00:03:56,880 Speaker 1: is the type of thing that they're dealing with very 73 00:03:56,920 --> 00:03:59,960 Speaker 1: regularly in Alice Springs. 74 00:04:00,480 --> 00:04:02,600 Speaker 2: We've been having these issues for quite some time in 75 00:04:02,680 --> 00:04:05,760 Speaker 2: our springs, Katie, and the police can only do so much. 76 00:04:07,360 --> 00:04:09,640 Speaker 2: The police at the end of the day are reactionary 77 00:04:09,800 --> 00:04:13,640 Speaker 2: in most respects, and the people in our springs are scared. 78 00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:16,920 Speaker 2: They're scared to go to the CBD during the day. 79 00:04:17,000 --> 00:04:22,400 Speaker 2: Now we're seeing all these violent offending and of course 80 00:04:22,600 --> 00:04:27,960 Speaker 2: thefts are harassment of people in broad daylight. We need 81 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:30,000 Speaker 2: to take some action and we need to give the 82 00:04:30,040 --> 00:04:33,839 Speaker 2: police some power to actually do something about what we're 83 00:04:33,839 --> 00:04:37,240 Speaker 2: seeing on our streets and in and around our central 84 00:04:37,240 --> 00:04:41,640 Speaker 2: business districts because this stuff can't keep going on. At 85 00:04:41,680 --> 00:04:45,200 Speaker 2: the moment. The criminals are winning, people are staying at home, 86 00:04:45,240 --> 00:04:48,800 Speaker 2: they're not going out, they're shopping online, they're not accessing 87 00:04:49,279 --> 00:04:52,880 Speaker 2: our shops and our businesses because of the crime and 88 00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:55,640 Speaker 2: violent behavior we're seeing. And to me, that just says 89 00:04:56,200 --> 00:04:58,840 Speaker 2: the criminals and the crooks are winning and the rest 90 00:04:58,839 --> 00:05:01,960 Speaker 2: of us, the general public, the residents of our communities, 91 00:05:01,960 --> 00:05:02,479 Speaker 2: are losing. 92 00:05:02,680 --> 00:05:05,600 Speaker 1: Bill, Do you reckon that the reinstatement of these two 93 00:05:05,680 --> 00:05:09,800 Speaker 1: kilometer rule of the licensed premises? Do you think that 94 00:05:09,839 --> 00:05:12,919 Speaker 1: it's just going to see the anti social behavior issues 95 00:05:12,920 --> 00:05:15,559 Speaker 1: that we've got sort of shifted a little bit further 96 00:05:15,640 --> 00:05:16,320 Speaker 1: out of town. 97 00:05:17,839 --> 00:05:19,880 Speaker 2: No, I don't think so, Katie. When you look at 98 00:05:19,960 --> 00:05:22,920 Speaker 2: when the two kilometer law was in place quite some 99 00:05:23,000 --> 00:05:29,680 Speaker 2: time ago, it actually provided I suppose, some restrictions on 100 00:05:29,800 --> 00:05:32,960 Speaker 2: that consumption of alcohol in and around the CBDs, and 101 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:36,599 Speaker 2: we didn't see it. And I don't think we've seen 102 00:05:36,720 --> 00:05:40,080 Speaker 2: the issues back then that we're seeing now and now 103 00:05:40,120 --> 00:05:43,839 Speaker 2: with this free for all of consuming alcohol pretty well anywhere, 104 00:05:44,640 --> 00:05:48,880 Speaker 2: we've seen that increase in anti social behavior and violence 105 00:05:49,400 --> 00:05:52,600 Speaker 2: in and around our liquor outlets. You've only got to 106 00:05:52,600 --> 00:05:54,680 Speaker 2: look at the crime stats from say, two thousand and 107 00:05:54,800 --> 00:05:58,520 Speaker 2: nineteen until today. The level of violence offending the level 108 00:05:58,560 --> 00:06:03,080 Speaker 2: of crime has continued to increase since that time. Let's 109 00:06:03,080 --> 00:06:06,240 Speaker 2: bring it back. If it makes a difference, great, If 110 00:06:06,240 --> 00:06:08,279 Speaker 2: it doesn't, all right, let's rethink it and let's do 111 00:06:08,360 --> 00:06:11,640 Speaker 2: something else. But I believe in the COLP believes that 112 00:06:11,800 --> 00:06:15,080 Speaker 2: bringing the two kilometer law back in will have a 113 00:06:15,520 --> 00:06:18,120 Speaker 2: marked effect on some of the anti social behavior that 114 00:06:18,120 --> 00:06:18,799 Speaker 2: we're seeing. 115 00:06:19,120 --> 00:06:23,480 Speaker 1: Bell Yam. We know that yesterday Michael Gunner obviously stood 116 00:06:23,560 --> 00:06:27,200 Speaker 1: down from the seat of Fanny Bay. Is this by 117 00:06:27,320 --> 00:06:31,160 Speaker 1: election going to be a test of Leo Finocchiaro's leadership 118 00:06:31,160 --> 00:06:32,240 Speaker 1: of the COLP. 119 00:06:33,400 --> 00:06:37,239 Speaker 2: Leader is an absolutely great leader. I can say first 120 00:06:37,240 --> 00:06:40,520 Speaker 2: and foremost, Katie, we're going to be out there fighting 121 00:06:40,520 --> 00:06:43,839 Speaker 2: the fight for the COLP in Fanny Bay. It's quite 122 00:06:43,839 --> 00:06:48,080 Speaker 2: interesting that when Michael stood down as the Chief Minister 123 00:06:48,160 --> 00:06:50,400 Speaker 2: a few months ago, he said there wasn't going to 124 00:06:50,400 --> 00:06:52,279 Speaker 2: be a by election, and here we are two months 125 00:06:52,279 --> 00:06:55,960 Speaker 2: after that and we've got a buy election. We're going 126 00:06:56,040 --> 00:06:58,839 Speaker 2: to be working very very hard, of course, with our 127 00:06:58,920 --> 00:07:02,760 Speaker 2: candidate in the seat of Fanny Bay. I have no 128 00:07:02,800 --> 00:07:04,640 Speaker 2: doubt later we're going to be out there doing exactly 129 00:07:04,640 --> 00:07:07,560 Speaker 2: the same thing too. But I'm pretty confident that the 130 00:07:07,600 --> 00:07:10,880 Speaker 2: CELP is going to extremely well and come away with 131 00:07:10,960 --> 00:07:12,680 Speaker 2: a win in the Fanny Bay Biolet. 132 00:07:12,560 --> 00:07:14,000 Speaker 1: Any idea who are you going to run? 133 00:07:14,080 --> 00:07:18,040 Speaker 2: Yes, I don't particularly know at this stage. If I 134 00:07:18,040 --> 00:07:20,280 Speaker 2: had u kde i'll tell you that. Actually for myself, 135 00:07:20,360 --> 00:07:25,680 Speaker 2: I don't know. Look, it's a decision for the party. 136 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:28,480 Speaker 2: That's the way that the COEALP works. The actual party 137 00:07:28,480 --> 00:07:32,160 Speaker 2: and the management committee will make the decision of course 138 00:07:32,200 --> 00:07:36,120 Speaker 2: on that candidate. By election was only called yesterday, so 139 00:07:36,520 --> 00:07:40,000 Speaker 2: we don't have a candidate ready to roll out labor 140 00:07:40,040 --> 00:07:42,560 Speaker 2: possibly does. I think they've probably known this has been 141 00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:45,600 Speaker 2: coming for a little while and probably got themselves ready. 142 00:07:45,640 --> 00:07:49,480 Speaker 2: But well, we now need to get our candidate, get 143 00:07:49,480 --> 00:07:51,480 Speaker 2: them prepped and get them out in front of the 144 00:07:51,560 --> 00:07:56,120 Speaker 2: people of Anny Bay and yeah, let's get the fight downe. 145 00:07:56,160 --> 00:07:58,680 Speaker 1: Well, you've got till August twenty is the date that 146 00:07:58,760 --> 00:08:01,760 Speaker 1: I've been told Bill yet, and so we'll see who 147 00:08:01,800 --> 00:08:04,240 Speaker 1: both parties decide to run. It's certainly going to be 148 00:08:04,480 --> 00:08:08,760 Speaker 1: very interesting. Bill Yan, the opposition spokesperson for Health and 149 00:08:08,840 --> 00:08:12,400 Speaker 1: also the member for Namajira. We appreciate your time this morning. 150 00:08:13,360 --> 00:08:14,560 Speaker 2: Thanks Katie, have a great day. 151 00:08:14,680 --> 00:08:15,480 Speaker 1: Thank you you too.