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Speaker 1: Well.

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Speaker 2: In some big news on Friday, the Chief Minister Leafanochiro

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Speaker 2: signed a landmark deal with the Prime Minister and State

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Speaker 2: and territory leaders, which will deliver an additional twenty five

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Speaker 2: billion dollars for public hospitals, including up to an additional

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Speaker 2: one billion dollars for the Northern Territory. This five year

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Speaker 2: funding agreement locks in the single biggest contribution by the

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Speaker 2: federal government to the territory's hospital. Now I caught up

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Speaker 2: with a little earlier this morning the Health Minister Steve

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Speaker 2: Edgington to find out more.

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Speaker 3: Good morning to your minister.

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Speaker 1: Good morning, Cody, and good morning to all the listeners.

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Speaker 3: Now, Minister, this sounds like good news.

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Speaker 2: And additional twenty five billion dollars for public hospitals, including

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Speaker 2: up to an additional one billion for the Northern Territory.

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Speaker 2: The wording sounds a bit vague, though, I've got to say,

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Speaker 2: up to an additional one billion dollars.

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Speaker 3: How much of that are we expecting to receive?

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Speaker 1: Yeah, look, this really is a landmark deal. Wre Cody,

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Speaker 1: and all credit to the federal government, of course our

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Speaker 1: Chief Minister, who was interstate negotiating the deal. What it

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Speaker 1: does mean is that there is a billion dollars over

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Speaker 1: five years, so roughly about two hundred million dollars per

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Speaker 1: year that's locked into the deal. So I can with

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Speaker 1: certainty say that it's very close to around two hundred

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Speaker 1: million dollars a year. So this really is a landmark deal.

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Speaker 1: It's the biggest deal that we've seen in the health

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Speaker 1: system here in the Northern Territory.

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Speaker 3: Wow.

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Speaker 2: So I mean, it does sound like fantastic news, but

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Speaker 2: you know, you and I have spoken about this on

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Speaker 2: so many occasions.

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Speaker 3: Goodness knows we need it right well.

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Speaker 1: Of course we do. And of course the health budget

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Speaker 1: has been operating in deficit of around somewhere between about

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Speaker 1: two hundred and three hundred million per year for a

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Speaker 1: number of years. And look, there's still more opportunities for

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Speaker 1: us to seek further funding, Katie. And this is important

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Speaker 1: because we've been speaking about this for all quite a

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Speaker 1: number of weeks now, and you know the figure that

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Speaker 1: I've been quoting is four hundred million dollars short. So

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Speaker 1: this is the National Health Reform Agreement, which is it's

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Speaker 1: limited to hospitals. So what I have been saying over

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Speaker 1: the last number of months is that there's still more

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Speaker 1: to come. Where ninety five million dollars short when it

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Speaker 1: comes to primary healthcare, where forty million dollars short when

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Speaker 1: it comes to age care. And of course i've been

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Speaker 1: talking about the patient retrieval service, which is costing the

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Speaker 1: Northern Territory government well over fifty million dollars a year.

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Speaker 1: So we're still providing services on behalf of the Commonwealth,

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Speaker 1: and we want the Commonwealth to come to the table

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Speaker 1: and start negotiating further money to cover the services that

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Speaker 1: we're delivering on their behalf.

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Speaker 2: A minister, in light of this agreement that we've reached

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Speaker 2: on Friday, are you confident that you are going to

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Speaker 2: be able to get to the table with the Federal

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Speaker 2: government and look at all of those diferent different areas

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Speaker 2: and get some further funding.

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Speaker 1: Well, I am confident it will take a bit of time.

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Speaker 1: We did hear the announcement from the Prime Minister last

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Speaker 1: week or the week before around the age care facility

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Speaker 1: here in Darwin, and I want to thank the Federal

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Speaker 1: government for moving ahead with the age care facility, but

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Speaker 1: in reality that is potentially anywhere between one and three

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Speaker 1: years away before we can have agecare people in our hospitals,

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Speaker 1: exiting the hospitals into some more dignified care such as

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Speaker 1: the age care facility at Palmerston. And of course with

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Speaker 1: the announcement, our government will be contributing land at Palmerston.

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Speaker 1: We've also agreed to provide money to do the headwork,

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Speaker 1: so we're partnering with the federal government. Of course, the

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Speaker 1: new provider identified is oz Care and we're happy to

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Speaker 1: work with the federal government and Oscare to make sure

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Speaker 1: this facility is delivered as soon as possible.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, we're going to catch up with Gosling a little

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Speaker 2: bit later on the show and talk a bit more

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Speaker 2: about that. Again, another good news announcement. It does seem

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Speaker 2: as though there's a bit happening in the health area,

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Speaker 2: which is good news. But we still need that new

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Speaker 2: tertiary hospital as well. How are we going to get

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Speaker 2: the money for.

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Speaker 1: That, Well, that's a longer term project, Coatie, and certainly

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Speaker 1: to move ahead with that, we do need to do

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Speaker 1: some scoping and we need to look at engineering designs.

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Speaker 1: There's a whole range of work that we need to

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Speaker 1: do prior to being in a position to go to

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Speaker 1: the federal government to ask money for a hospital at

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Speaker 1: the moment, we'd just be quoting a ballpark figure. What

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Speaker 1: we need to do is do the work and then

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Speaker 1: go to the federal government with a properly costed project

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Speaker 1: and ask for that funding. So that's work in progress,

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Speaker 1: but we're talking quite a number of years away before

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Speaker 1: we see a new hospital.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, fair call.

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Speaker 2: Now on the health side of things, we have been

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Speaker 2: contacted again by listeners concerned about the hydro pool at

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Speaker 2: the Palmerston Regional Hospital. Told us last year that if

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Speaker 2: people had a referral from a specialist, they'd be able

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Speaker 2: to use the pool. Again, we spoke to Robin Burridge

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Speaker 2: on Friday and she said she hasn't even had a

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Speaker 2: response after providing that referral. What's going on with the

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Speaker 2: pool situation from your perspective.

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Speaker 1: Look, as I said a number of months ago, the

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Speaker 1: pool is being used by inpatients and outpatients. There's roughly

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Speaker 1: about twenty five patients that occupy the rehab center at

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Speaker 1: the Palmerston Hospital on a daily basis. But when it

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Speaker 1: comes to our patients, yes, as I've always said, with

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Speaker 1: a referral, the referral is assessed by the team that

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Speaker 1: refers it and then provides access in the program for

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Speaker 1: the referral.

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Speaker 2: It is what I just be reopened for those who

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Speaker 2: need it. Why can't you know, those who'd previously used

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Speaker 2: it just get back in there and use it again.

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Speaker 2: I mean we're talking about who need this hydro pool.

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Speaker 1: I would assume, well, previously the pool was open, it

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Speaker 1: was open to private physio providers, and that was more

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Speaker 1: of a casual drop in sort of availability and people

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Speaker 1: dropping into the hydrotherapy pool. Katie, what we need, like

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Speaker 1: any swimming pool, we need to have people on duty,

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Speaker 1: and we need to have strictly people that are there

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Speaker 1: to provide the care, the support, and of course in

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Speaker 1: an emergency, we need people there. So what we don't

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Speaker 1: want to do is be in a position where we

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Speaker 1: don't know who's coming to the hydrotherapy pool. So what

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Speaker 1: it's been used for is in patients and outpatients. And

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Speaker 1: what I can say is that over the last twelve

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Speaker 1: months there's been three hundred and forty six patients that

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Speaker 1: have been using the pool. So the referral process is there,

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Speaker 1: like we said many months ago. But what I do

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Speaker 1: want to say, Katie, is that I've visited the hydrotherapy

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Speaker 1: pool on front. One of the things that concerned me

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Speaker 1: was in some cases there has been a delay in

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Speaker 1: contacting people that have put in a referral, and that's

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Speaker 1: the part that's concerned me. So what I've done is

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Speaker 1: spoken to the staff and what we do want to

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Speaker 1: make sure is that when a person puts in a

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Speaker 1: referral it's received at the Parmesan Regional Hospital, that there

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Speaker 1: is contact made with that person as soon as possible

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Speaker 1: to make sure that they're aware that their referral has

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Speaker 1: been received.

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Speaker 2: So can you assure can you assure those listening this

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Speaker 2: morning that might be in that situation where they've not

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Speaker 2: been contacted yet, that they.

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Speaker 1: Will be they will be contacted. And that's a particular

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Speaker 1: area that I turned my mind to when I was

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Speaker 1: out there on Friday. How well are we communicating with people,

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Speaker 1: And that's an area that we will be tightening up

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Speaker 1: on and I want to make sure that everybody is

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Speaker 1: communicated with as soon as possible. There has to be

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Speaker 1: an assessment process the referrals come in, there has to

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Speaker 1: be an assessment process. But what my expectations are that

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Speaker 1: will be communicating with people and letting them know where

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Speaker 1: their referral is up to Yeah, at times there is

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Speaker 1: a wait list to Katie, and what we need to

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Speaker 1: do is communicate that to people that have put in

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Speaker 1: their referrals.

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Speaker 2: All right, Minister, will power through because there's a couple

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Speaker 2: of things I still want to ask you about, and

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Speaker 2: I know you're very pressed for time. The situation with

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Speaker 2: maternity services, it continues to be an issue. Many questioning

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Speaker 2: why a million dollar government contract for private Midwifferry services

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Speaker 2: was awarded to a provider under investigation by the National regulator.

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Speaker 2: Why did the Northern Territory government award that contract to

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Speaker 2: a practitioner who was under investigation.

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Speaker 1: Well, those matters came to the attention of the Department

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Speaker 1: of Health after the contract had been awarded. What has

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Speaker 1: happened since the contract was awarded, Katie is and I

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Speaker 1: want to reassure all listeners not one service has been

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Speaker 1: delivered under that contract. Sooner than to Health became aware

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Speaker 1: of some of the issues that were being mentioned and

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Speaker 1: talked about in the media, talked about in the community.

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Speaker 1: That has come to a standstill and to a proper

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Speaker 1: investigation is conducted to determine a way forward. That I'd

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Speaker 1: want to reassure everybody not one service has been delivered

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Speaker 1: under that contract.

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Speaker 3: But did that provider did they not.

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Speaker 1: One service will be delivered until the matter As a result,

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Speaker 1: did they.

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Speaker 3: Still get the million dollars though?

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Speaker 2: No?

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Speaker 3: Okay, So.

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Speaker 1: Contracts are based on services being delivered, Katie, and so

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Speaker 1: I want to reassure listeners that no services have been

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Speaker 1: delivered and no services will be delivered until we've done

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Speaker 1: a proper investigation to get to the bottom.

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Speaker 2: All right, Minister, I'm going to ask you to put

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Speaker 2: your public housing hat on, because on the weekend you

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Speaker 2: announced that public housing reforms are working to hold tenants

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Speaker 2: accountable for bad behavior. Twenty five tenants evicted or handed

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Speaker 2: back leases and more than seventy take to NTCAT. Now

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Speaker 2: you say that the government's also clawing back unpaid rent

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Speaker 2: with strict payment plans, with seventy two homes clearing rent debt.

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Speaker 2: This is good news. It certainly sounds like good news

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Speaker 2: on the face of it. But on Friday we heard

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Speaker 2: from a concern Palmerston resident who says that they live

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Speaker 2: next door to the worst public housing tenants in the

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Speaker 2: Northern Territory and despite several complaints, they've not been evicted.

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Speaker 2: Minister there's no doubt that we have still got public

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Speaker 2: housing tenants that are doing the wrong thing. What works

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Speaker 2: underway to try to stop this kind of bad behavior.

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Speaker 1: You're very right there, Katie. There is more work to

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Speaker 1: be done. What we have highlighted is the work that

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Speaker 1: has been going on in the Department of Housing, Local

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Speaker 1: Government and Community Development. In March last year, I announced

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Speaker 1: significant reforms and what we've have been doing is focusing

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Speaker 1: on those very issues that you mentioned, anti social behavior

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Speaker 1: in housing, collecting rent, making sure that people are looking

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Speaker 1: after their home. Yes, there now has been twenty five

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Speaker 1: tenants either evicted, some have even decided to hand back

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Speaker 1: their keys, deciding that they can't possibly abide by the rules,

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Speaker 1: can't look after their house to the standards that we expect, Katie.

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Speaker 1: What we do have is teams working on this. We

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Speaker 1: will continue to work on it, and yes, I'm very

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Speaker 1: concerned that there are still people living next door to

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Speaker 1: public housing tenants that aren't doing the right thing, Katie.

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Speaker 1: Our staff will be on their way to work on

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Speaker 1: these very issues. There is a process that we need

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Speaker 1: to follow and I think we need to keep all

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Speaker 1: of that in mind. So I really do encourage people

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Speaker 1: to continue reporting to our department so that we can

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Speaker 1: get on top of these Well.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean I know this resident started that petition.

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Speaker 2: I believe it was at Matthew Curl's office on the weekend.

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Speaker 2: It's going to be tabled in Parliament in March. I

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Speaker 2: mean they will be listening this morning thinking if the

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Speaker 2: government's cracking down the way that you say that they are,

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Speaker 2: how a people still living in situations where kids are

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Speaker 2: allegedly breaking into homes with machetes, rubbish is strewn around

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Speaker 2: and terrible behavior is still happening, but they're still given housing. Yep.

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Speaker 1: Look, as I said, Katie, there is work to do.

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Speaker 1: We only have a certain number of resources that we

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Speaker 1: can allocate to this and the problems not only in Darwen, Katy,

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Speaker 1: it's you, of course, Darwen Palmerston, but also in other

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Speaker 1: areas such as Catherine Tennant Creek and Our Springs. So

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Speaker 1: we have teams within the Department that are clearly focused

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Speaker 1: on doing this work. Yes, there is more to do,

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Speaker 1: but we do want to continue to focus on restricting alcohol,

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Speaker 1: which we've done. We've made nearly most of the unit

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Speaker 1: complexes restricted premises and we've also made a number of

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Speaker 1: actual houses restricted premises as well. So the work is happening.

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Speaker 1: And what I do want to reassure the residents of

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Speaker 1: Palmers and Darwin and right across the Northern Territory we

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Speaker 1: are working on it and we will get on top

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Speaker 1: of it.

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Speaker 2: Well, Minister Steve Edgington, Minister for Housing as well as Health,

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Speaker 2: and I know you've got to get into that event

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Speaker 2: this morning setting the agenda really for the year ahead

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Speaker 2: for twenty twenty six. And how good that we got

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Speaker 2: the announcement this morning their cricket Test. Cricket's coming back

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Speaker 2: to the territory.

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Speaker 1: Too amazing, isn't it. I went through Facebook yesterday and

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Speaker 1: I'll tell you what, there's a lot of people in

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Speaker 1: the Northern Territory that are already booking their seats. I think, Katie,

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Speaker 1: because they're having a test match in Darwin. I'll tell

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Speaker 1: you what. We'll have people from all over the territory.

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Speaker 1: We'll have people from around the world. This is going

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Speaker 1: to be one of the greatest events for the Northern

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Speaker 1: Territory that we've seen in a long time.

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Speaker 2: Well, Steve Edgington, thank you so much for your time

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Speaker 2: this morning. I know that you're a busy Man, thanks

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Speaker 2: for having a chat with us.