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Speaker 1: Joining me live on the line right now. We know

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Speaker 1: that's obviously the Northern Territory public sector workers at Power

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Speaker 1: and Water and also Jacana Energy of both again well

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Speaker 1: once again voted no to the Gunner government's pay bonus.

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Speaker 1: And joining me on the line is Kay Densley from

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Speaker 1: the CPSU. Good morning to UK.

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Speaker 2: Good morning Katie. Kay, Power and.

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Speaker 1: Water and Jacana have now voted on this pay bonus.

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Speaker 1: Can you tell me what exactly was the outcome?

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Speaker 2: Well, they both said no again. So this is a

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Speaker 2: second time in a matter of months where they've been

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Speaker 2: asked to vote and yeah, there's no pay rise in it.

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Speaker 2: So people know the long term effects of that of

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Speaker 2: both their family budget and you know, keeping up with CPI.

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Speaker 1: Now, obviously what they were voting on on this occasion

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Speaker 1: was this bonus that the Chief Minister had put forward

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Speaker 1: just a couple of weeks ago. For those out there

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Speaker 1: who maybe don't know exactly how much that bonus was,

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Speaker 1: talk us through what it was going to look.

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Speaker 2: So there was an increased offer from one thousand dollars

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Speaker 2: per year last time to four thousand dollars in the

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Speaker 2: first year and two thousand and each year after that.

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Speaker 2: The bonus is are taxable, of course, so you're not

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Speaker 2: going to get the full four thousand dollars. But it

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Speaker 2: was obviously a big character wave and you're very tempting

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Speaker 2: for a lot of people. So you know it didn't work.

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Speaker 2: So you know, Michael Gunner needs to start listening and talk.

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Speaker 1: Okay, obviously this is power and water and Jacana. What

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Speaker 1: about some of our other public sector workers. What's when

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Speaker 1: are they going to vote and when can we expect

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Speaker 1: those results?

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Speaker 2: So the MTPS General Agreement, which covers around about thirteen

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Speaker 2: thousand public servants, so that closes on Friday morning, This

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Speaker 2: Friday morning at ten am, so you know they've got

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Speaker 2: the same offer, and you know there's some really progressive

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Speaker 2: ideas and stuff in agreement. The big sticking point is

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Speaker 2: a pay rise that accumulates and keeps up with CPI

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Speaker 2: and obviously you know, enables them to be able to

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Speaker 2: live in the territory.

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Speaker 1: So okay, where to from here? Because it sounds as though,

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Speaker 1: and obviously I don't want to get too far ahead

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Speaker 1: of myself, that that other vote expected on Friday, but

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Speaker 1: it doesn't sound as though this is getting resounding support

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Speaker 1: from the public sector.

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Speaker 2: No so Michael Gunner seems to just be speaking from

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Speaker 2: his culport and you know, throwing out all the tempting tidbits.

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Speaker 2: But what he needs to do is stop and listen

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Speaker 2: and start talking and see what we can work out

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Speaker 2: to ensure that you know, the public service continues, that

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Speaker 2: they're rewarded for the work that they do and have done,

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Speaker 2: you know, especially over the last couple of years, and

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Speaker 2: that you know, their pay isn't going backwards. So our

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Speaker 2: flamers for a two year agreement and we're happy to

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Speaker 2: put that or other things on the table and then

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Speaker 2: take that back to members. But it's just you know,

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Speaker 2: the the arrogance I guess of not even talking to

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Speaker 2: us about it and just you know, changing offers and

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Speaker 2: expecting people to accept it.

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Speaker 1: Kay. Like I always say to you, there's going to

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Speaker 1: be some people listening this morning that are thinking, it's

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Speaker 1: just you know, you're being greedy. Why do you deserve

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Speaker 1: or why you know, should should there be this pay increase?

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Speaker 1: But you have also pointed out, you know the cost

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Speaker 1: of living continues to go up, and you do want

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Speaker 1: to sit down with the Chief Minister and go through

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Speaker 1: all of this. I mean, why is this so important.

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Speaker 1: Why is it so important that our public sector workers

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Speaker 1: do receive that pay increase.

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Speaker 2: Well, they make up a large percentage of the workforce

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Speaker 2: up here, and of course the public public sector, their

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Speaker 2: way does reflect what's in the public service as well.

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Speaker 2: So you know, we're hearing a lot of companies and

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Speaker 2: private enterprise that is saying they don't have to offer

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Speaker 2: a pay rise. So you know, basically we're just going

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Speaker 2: to bring everyone down by not ensuring that people get

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Speaker 2: a fair pay rise each year. They also support you know,

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Speaker 2: it's what I guess about a fifth of the NT

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Speaker 2: population at the moment. So yeah, they're the ones that

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Speaker 2: support local businesses and buy locally and you know, do

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Speaker 2: all that stuff that to invest their money into the

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Speaker 2: local economy. So without the ability to be able to

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Speaker 2: do that, they're going to have to make a choice

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Speaker 2: about where they spend their money and that's a real

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Speaker 2: concern when we're trying to build the economy up.

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Speaker 1: Okay, I do want to ask you obviously, these changes

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Speaker 1: to the borders come into place on December twenty. We're

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Speaker 1: due to catch up with the nurses Union after ten

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Speaker 1: o'clock this morning and talk a little bit more about

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Speaker 1: this is this an issue that's being raised with you

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Speaker 1: through the CPSU at this point.

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Speaker 2: Certainly is especially when you're out in outside of the

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Speaker 2: Darwin Katherine Alice Springs area. So we are hoping that

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Speaker 2: the changes that they're talking about bringing in will enable

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Speaker 2: people to home quarantine where they are, especially if they're

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Speaker 2: just outside of town or Norman Boyn Group for example.

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Speaker 2: And our members don't want to bring any sickness back

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Speaker 2: into the communities, and we need to make sure everyone's safe,

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Speaker 2: but we also need a break every now and then.

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Speaker 2: And there's people that have already booked to travel into

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Speaker 2: state and they're concerned. They might be essential workers, but

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Speaker 2: their kids aren't, so they're concerned about the cost where

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Speaker 2: they'll be able to get back home again. Obviously, there's

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Speaker 2: also a concern about the effect on services if they

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Speaker 2: can't get home, and the rules keep changing all the time,

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Speaker 2: so it's pretty hard to plan ahead.

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Speaker 1: Okay, what's your message for the government on the issue.

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Speaker 2: They need to listen. They need to realize that, you know,

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Speaker 2: times two means that we're serious. And it's our members

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Speaker 2: out there that are voting. They're the ones. We're just

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Speaker 2: giving them the information so they need to listen to

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Speaker 2: their workers, and they need to sit down and have

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Speaker 2: a sensible conversation and let's cook it some alternative.

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Speaker 1: Kay Densley, I always appreciate your time, no doubt. We'll

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Speaker 1: talk again next week after we find out the outcome

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Speaker 1: of that voter is So, is the outcome expected Friday

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Speaker 1: as well or will that be early next week?

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Speaker 2: Now that'll be Friday, just after ten am in the morning.

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Speaker 1: Oh well, we'll probably talk to you then, kay Densley,

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Speaker 1: thank you so much for your time.

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Speaker 2: No worries. Thanks Katie, thank you