1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:03,240 Speaker 1: Now tracking along. We do know as well that it's 2 00:00:03,279 --> 00:00:07,200 Speaker 1: really not just the hospitality industry that's impacted when it 3 00:00:07,240 --> 00:00:10,040 Speaker 1: comes to some of these concerns around the COVID vaccine. 4 00:00:10,080 --> 00:00:12,760 Speaker 1: We know that we talk a lot about those disruptions 5 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:15,360 Speaker 1: to business when it comes to lockdown and issues with 6 00:00:15,400 --> 00:00:18,959 Speaker 1: the COVID with the COVID situation at the moment, but 7 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:20,959 Speaker 1: it does seem as though those who work in the 8 00:00:21,079 --> 00:00:24,360 Speaker 1: education sector are also pretty concerned about the current situation. 9 00:00:24,760 --> 00:00:27,440 Speaker 1: Now joining me on the line is Jarvis Ryan, who 10 00:00:27,480 --> 00:00:30,520 Speaker 1: is the head of the Northern Territory Education Union. Good 11 00:00:30,560 --> 00:00:31,560 Speaker 1: morning to you, Jarvis. 12 00:00:32,720 --> 00:00:34,720 Speaker 2: Great to be with you, Katie and mate. 13 00:00:34,720 --> 00:00:37,440 Speaker 1: Firstly, a good run yesterday You and your little fella 14 00:00:37,560 --> 00:00:41,520 Speaker 1: ran incredibly well at run with dad. Yeah. 15 00:00:41,560 --> 00:00:43,879 Speaker 2: Well, the shame it was in this morning. The weather's 16 00:00:43,960 --> 00:00:46,360 Speaker 2: a lot nicer in day on this morning than yesterday. 17 00:00:46,479 --> 00:00:50,040 Speaker 2: Was very tough conditions. Yes, a great, great day out 18 00:00:50,040 --> 00:00:52,120 Speaker 2: and a great cause to be supporting. Well. 19 00:00:52,120 --> 00:00:54,080 Speaker 1: I wasn't sure as well whether you and your son 20 00:00:54,160 --> 00:00:57,280 Speaker 1: we were the first father and son duo across the line, 21 00:00:57,280 --> 00:00:59,520 Speaker 1: but you were running pretty fast, no doubt about it. 22 00:01:00,760 --> 00:01:04,640 Speaker 2: Well I'm not too sure about that either, but it's 23 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:09,240 Speaker 2: always good to just get across the finish line, and yeah, 24 00:01:09,360 --> 00:01:12,560 Speaker 2: many other thing that was so nice yesterday, just in 25 00:01:12,640 --> 00:01:15,720 Speaker 2: trying times, I certainly found that it was a very 26 00:01:15,800 --> 00:01:20,120 Speaker 2: nice day of celebrating fathers and men and just a 27 00:01:20,120 --> 00:01:22,880 Speaker 2: good news day and mean amidst quite a lot of 28 00:01:23,400 --> 00:01:26,440 Speaker 2: grim bad news days around in Australia at the moment. 29 00:01:26,600 --> 00:01:29,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, you spot on. It was so good, hey, just 30 00:01:29,160 --> 00:01:31,160 Speaker 1: to get out there when you consider what other people 31 00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:34,399 Speaker 1: are going through in other states. And there was a 32 00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:36,319 Speaker 1: few people running around the track. I don't know whether 33 00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:38,319 Speaker 1: you heard it as well, but sort of saying you know, 34 00:01:38,440 --> 00:01:41,800 Speaker 1: I'm from wherever a Sunshine coast. One bloke had told 35 00:01:41,800 --> 00:01:43,319 Speaker 1: me and he said, we just you know, this is 36 00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:45,200 Speaker 1: so good that you're able to do this up here 37 00:01:45,240 --> 00:01:45,880 Speaker 1: in the top end. 38 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:50,440 Speaker 2: Yeah, And it is a contrast and talking to my 39 00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:54,800 Speaker 2: dad yesterday afternoon, he's in Sydney and he just said, 40 00:01:55,040 --> 00:01:58,360 Speaker 2: I've never found myself wishing so much of my life away, 41 00:01:58,560 --> 00:02:01,760 Speaker 2: just hoping they can get past if he gets to 42 00:02:01,800 --> 00:02:03,880 Speaker 2: go out and exercise once a day and go to 43 00:02:03,920 --> 00:02:07,440 Speaker 2: the shops occasionally, and that's his life. You know. He 44 00:02:07,520 --> 00:02:09,480 Speaker 2: wants to get back to traveling and being able to 45 00:02:09,480 --> 00:02:12,320 Speaker 2: move around, and he said, there's not a great deal 46 00:02:12,360 --> 00:02:14,440 Speaker 2: to look forward to at the moment. So I guess, 47 00:02:14,440 --> 00:02:17,520 Speaker 2: I guess that's we're all looking for some light at 48 00:02:17,560 --> 00:02:20,240 Speaker 2: the end of the tunnel. Within the territory, we don't 49 00:02:20,240 --> 00:02:22,760 Speaker 2: have those day to day restrictions, but we do have 50 00:02:22,840 --> 00:02:26,800 Speaker 2: obviously the restrictions in terms of every time we leave 51 00:02:26,840 --> 00:02:29,919 Speaker 2: the territory. Yeah, things get a bit dice in. 52 00:02:30,360 --> 00:02:33,360 Speaker 1: Yeah, you spot on, And that is something that you 53 00:02:33,440 --> 00:02:36,959 Speaker 1: have raised in recent days, particularly for some of our 54 00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:40,560 Speaker 1: teachers in the Northern Territory. As we talk more about 55 00:02:40,560 --> 00:02:43,800 Speaker 1: that vaccine rollout, Javis talk us through how some of 56 00:02:43,800 --> 00:02:46,760 Speaker 1: our teachers in remote communities are sort of feeling at 57 00:02:46,760 --> 00:02:49,600 Speaker 1: the moment when you look at you know, heading towards 58 00:02:49,600 --> 00:02:52,200 Speaker 1: the end of the year and the potential for us 59 00:02:52,480 --> 00:02:55,000 Speaker 1: opening up but only if we get to that eighty 60 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:56,280 Speaker 1: percent vaccination rate. 61 00:02:57,840 --> 00:03:00,320 Speaker 2: Yeah, well, we are concerned about that. We can concerned 62 00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:04,160 Speaker 2: about the mental health and wellbeing of our remote teaching staff. 63 00:03:04,200 --> 00:03:06,960 Speaker 2: So they do it pretty tough in the best of times. 64 00:03:07,040 --> 00:03:10,080 Speaker 2: And part of the deal usually is those school holiday 65 00:03:10,120 --> 00:03:13,200 Speaker 2: periods are a chance to get out, travel a bit, 66 00:03:13,280 --> 00:03:17,040 Speaker 2: recharge the batteries in normal times, that would mean maybe 67 00:03:17,040 --> 00:03:19,320 Speaker 2: a trip into state at a time by the beach. 68 00:03:19,360 --> 00:03:21,760 Speaker 2: If you're in the central desert in old days, you 69 00:03:21,840 --> 00:03:24,360 Speaker 2: might have jumped over to Bali for a few days. 70 00:03:24,400 --> 00:03:27,640 Speaker 2: And what we're sort of concerned about is if we 71 00:03:27,720 --> 00:03:30,840 Speaker 2: don't start to see some movement around when we'll start 72 00:03:30,840 --> 00:03:34,280 Speaker 2: to ease restrictions, particularly when we're looking at potentially mandating 73 00:03:34,360 --> 00:03:39,080 Speaker 2: vaccination in remote communities, is that we may lose a 74 00:03:39,080 --> 00:03:42,480 Speaker 2: lot of teachers. A place like Victorian Ours offering sign 75 00:03:42,560 --> 00:03:45,840 Speaker 2: on bonuses of up to fifty thousand dollars for teachers, 76 00:03:45,880 --> 00:03:48,440 Speaker 2: we're looking at a four year pay freees. We're talking 77 00:03:48,440 --> 00:03:51,400 Speaker 2: about people very isolated off and haven't seen their families 78 00:03:51,440 --> 00:03:54,720 Speaker 2: into state for eighteen months. I think we need to 79 00:03:54,760 --> 00:03:58,400 Speaker 2: give people some indication of when some of those restrictions 80 00:03:58,440 --> 00:04:00,800 Speaker 2: may be looking to ease. We want to start that 81 00:04:00,880 --> 00:04:05,080 Speaker 2: conversation now, not three weeks out from Christmas, because it's 82 00:04:05,120 --> 00:04:08,280 Speaker 2: not just the issue of potentially losing teachers, it's then 83 00:04:08,360 --> 00:04:12,400 Speaker 2: having to replace them and recruit. And if we're talking 84 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:16,600 Speaker 2: about hotspots in place around many states of Australia, you're 85 00:04:16,640 --> 00:04:19,480 Speaker 2: asking people to do fourteen days of mandatory quarantine just 86 00:04:19,520 --> 00:04:21,960 Speaker 2: to come and start work here. That is a big 87 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:26,159 Speaker 2: ask for anyone, particularly someone thinking of bringing their family here. 88 00:04:26,200 --> 00:04:29,200 Speaker 2: And this is a real risk for the territories that 89 00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:32,360 Speaker 2: we've done a really good job of keeping COVID out 90 00:04:32,360 --> 00:04:35,640 Speaker 2: of the territory, But how do we start to make 91 00:04:35,680 --> 00:04:39,080 Speaker 2: that transition to easing some of those restrictions. 92 00:04:39,680 --> 00:04:41,680 Speaker 1: Yeah, and this is a discussion that we're sort of 93 00:04:41,720 --> 00:04:44,280 Speaker 1: having quite broadly at the moment. We just spoke to 94 00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:48,799 Speaker 1: Alex Bruce obviously from hospitality into and from all accounts. 95 00:04:48,880 --> 00:04:50,960 Speaker 1: You know, what I can gather is that people are 96 00:04:51,000 --> 00:04:54,440 Speaker 1: really just after a bit more certainty and a bit 97 00:04:54,440 --> 00:04:55,000 Speaker 1: of a plan. 98 00:04:56,400 --> 00:04:59,200 Speaker 2: Yeah, and I think that's what I'd be up for 99 00:04:59,279 --> 00:05:04,159 Speaker 2: the Chief the Chief Minister is look particularly the issue 100 00:05:04,200 --> 00:05:06,640 Speaker 2: I think we have and I listened to the Tail 101 00:05:06,680 --> 00:05:08,480 Speaker 2: interview interview with Alex, and I think you sort of 102 00:05:08,520 --> 00:05:10,480 Speaker 2: hit the nail on the head is we set these 103 00:05:10,600 --> 00:05:13,520 Speaker 2: arbitrary figures like eighty percent and so on, but clearly 104 00:05:14,480 --> 00:05:17,080 Speaker 2: there's a huge disconnect in the bush. And I know 105 00:05:17,279 --> 00:05:20,840 Speaker 2: I got in contact with a member in Alprah last week. 106 00:05:20,960 --> 00:05:23,720 Speaker 2: Is one of the types of Central Australian communities that 107 00:05:23,839 --> 00:05:26,479 Speaker 2: are talking about sort of the years ten out of 108 00:05:26,560 --> 00:05:34,400 Speaker 2: seven hundred people vaccinated. Is he's telling me there's misinformation. 109 00:05:34,600 --> 00:05:38,120 Speaker 2: People are being fed all sorts of false information about vaccines. 110 00:05:38,160 --> 00:05:42,640 Speaker 2: But there's very little attempt by the government really to 111 00:05:42,720 --> 00:05:46,400 Speaker 2: have messages in community language and community engagement campaign and 112 00:05:46,440 --> 00:05:49,839 Speaker 2: getting elders out to explain just how vital it is 113 00:05:49,920 --> 00:05:53,800 Speaker 2: that vulnerable people in these communities are vaccinated. So we've 114 00:05:53,839 --> 00:05:56,080 Speaker 2: got a real challenge on our hands to get those 115 00:05:56,160 --> 00:05:59,120 Speaker 2: vaccination levels up in those remote communities or we will 116 00:05:59,120 --> 00:06:03,960 Speaker 2: never get to that eighty percent threshold. And that's raises 117 00:06:04,000 --> 00:06:06,719 Speaker 2: real issues not just around people's freedom of movement, but 118 00:06:06,760 --> 00:06:11,279 Speaker 2: obviously the devastating impact that the coronavirus would likely have 119 00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:15,479 Speaker 2: in the event of an outbreaking in those remote communities. 120 00:06:15,560 --> 00:06:18,240 Speaker 1: Yeah, you're spot on there, and you know, we all, 121 00:06:18,320 --> 00:06:21,640 Speaker 1: I think everybody. It goes without saying that health is 122 00:06:22,120 --> 00:06:24,240 Speaker 1: the priority here and we've got to make sure that 123 00:06:24,800 --> 00:06:27,920 Speaker 1: everybody is vaccinated first and foremost to ensure that they 124 00:06:27,960 --> 00:06:31,680 Speaker 1: are kept as safe as possible. But then, you know, 125 00:06:31,760 --> 00:06:34,000 Speaker 1: like you've just said, if we've got a situation where 126 00:06:34,040 --> 00:06:37,160 Speaker 1: even when we're talking about our education sector, people are 127 00:06:37,160 --> 00:06:39,840 Speaker 1: worried about coming to the Northern territory. Because of those 128 00:06:39,880 --> 00:06:43,400 Speaker 1: different factors that come into play, I having to quarantine 129 00:06:43,520 --> 00:06:46,359 Speaker 1: and various other things. It's going to make it, I 130 00:06:46,360 --> 00:06:49,440 Speaker 1: would suspect, quite difficult in terms of recruitment for next year. 131 00:06:51,160 --> 00:06:54,920 Speaker 2: Well, it is particularly because again it's important to look forward, 132 00:06:54,960 --> 00:06:57,919 Speaker 2: because you can say the territory it's great now we 133 00:06:58,000 --> 00:07:00,960 Speaker 2: have this openness and so on. But think about how 134 00:07:00,960 --> 00:07:03,680 Speaker 2: different a place like New South Wales will be next year, 135 00:07:03,720 --> 00:07:06,560 Speaker 2: potentially Victoria where they move into a new phase of 136 00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:10,120 Speaker 2: you to use the expression of living with the virus 137 00:07:10,160 --> 00:07:14,720 Speaker 2: and focusing on hospitalizations and death not case numbers. Are 138 00:07:14,760 --> 00:07:17,600 Speaker 2: we going to be locked away in the territory. So 139 00:07:18,280 --> 00:07:21,160 Speaker 2: I'm certainly not one to be advocating like open slavor, 140 00:07:21,240 --> 00:07:25,840 Speaker 2: but I think saying fourteen days manatry quarantine, Australia's getting 141 00:07:25,880 --> 00:07:27,760 Speaker 2: left behind the rest of the world. I mean, I 142 00:07:27,760 --> 00:07:30,600 Speaker 2: have a friend who has just come back to Australia 143 00:07:30,600 --> 00:07:33,120 Speaker 2: with his wife to have their second baby. Now they 144 00:07:33,160 --> 00:07:36,760 Speaker 2: lived in Cuta. He's vaccinated. In the weeks leading up 145 00:07:36,800 --> 00:07:40,800 Speaker 2: to when he left, he visited four countries, return to 146 00:07:41,400 --> 00:07:45,000 Speaker 2: had to undertake a test, no mandatory quarantine, was able 147 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:47,360 Speaker 2: to go about his life and that's what's beginning to 148 00:07:47,360 --> 00:07:50,360 Speaker 2: happen in the rest of the world, and so I'd 149 00:07:50,400 --> 00:07:52,720 Speaker 2: be thinking in our context, we need to look at 150 00:07:52,800 --> 00:07:57,080 Speaker 2: how we could continue to protect remote communities, to ask 151 00:07:57,080 --> 00:08:01,520 Speaker 2: people working there to take on additional precautions. But does 152 00:08:01,560 --> 00:08:04,360 Speaker 2: that need to mean fourteen days in hotel quarantine? Could 153 00:08:04,360 --> 00:08:06,680 Speaker 2: it mean a shorter period of home quarantine? Could it 154 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:11,920 Speaker 2: mean being submitting to regular testing. That's sort of where 155 00:08:11,920 --> 00:08:14,960 Speaker 2: I'd like to hear our health officials talking about moving 156 00:08:15,040 --> 00:08:19,400 Speaker 2: towards a more flexible approach that does change the settings 157 00:08:19,440 --> 00:08:23,720 Speaker 2: based on higher vaccination rates, to get the balance a 158 00:08:23,760 --> 00:08:27,640 Speaker 2: bit more in favor of giving people some more freedom 159 00:08:27,960 --> 00:08:30,720 Speaker 2: whilst doing it in the safest manner possible. 160 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:33,000 Speaker 1: Jervis, from your perspective, we are going to have to 161 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:36,040 Speaker 1: wrap up. But from your perspective, how important is it 162 00:08:36,080 --> 00:08:38,640 Speaker 1: do you think you know, when it comes to having 163 00:08:38,720 --> 00:08:42,319 Speaker 1: this discussion as a union for education, how important is 164 00:08:42,360 --> 00:08:44,760 Speaker 1: it that we do start to really talk about this 165 00:08:44,840 --> 00:08:45,880 Speaker 1: and have a clear plan. 166 00:08:47,400 --> 00:08:49,640 Speaker 2: Well, I think I think it really is important because 167 00:08:51,160 --> 00:08:53,320 Speaker 2: one of the big issues as well here is the 168 00:08:53,360 --> 00:08:57,760 Speaker 2: bigger issue of what point do we accept and submit 169 00:08:57,840 --> 00:09:01,960 Speaker 2: to community transmission in the territory which is the bigger 170 00:09:02,000 --> 00:09:05,360 Speaker 2: issue than that plays into the schools stay open. How 171 00:09:05,400 --> 00:09:08,680 Speaker 2: do they stay open? These are you know, we can't 172 00:09:08,720 --> 00:09:11,640 Speaker 2: just continue on as I think Victoria's found with lockdown 173 00:09:11,679 --> 00:09:15,960 Speaker 2: after lockdown to try to eradicate the virus. So have 174 00:09:16,040 --> 00:09:19,360 Speaker 2: these conversations now before we are faced with that reality, 175 00:09:20,880 --> 00:09:23,559 Speaker 2: because it's pretty clear you look around the world, this 176 00:09:23,960 --> 00:09:26,520 Speaker 2: virus is not going away, that it is going to be 177 00:09:26,600 --> 00:09:30,000 Speaker 2: a case of trying to minimize hospitalizations and death, but 178 00:09:30,160 --> 00:09:35,400 Speaker 2: find a way to balance medical interventions and things with 179 00:09:35,640 --> 00:09:38,960 Speaker 2: trying to allow things like businesses to run schools to 180 00:09:39,040 --> 00:09:42,720 Speaker 2: continue to try and do that in the safest way possible. 181 00:09:42,920 --> 00:09:45,920 Speaker 2: And certainly I want to see our schools remain open 182 00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:48,440 Speaker 2: for our kids. I think they miss out too much 183 00:09:48,520 --> 00:09:52,200 Speaker 2: if we see these prolonged lockdowns that are happening interstates. 184 00:09:52,360 --> 00:09:55,160 Speaker 2: So we want to make sure we try and get 185 00:09:55,200 --> 00:09:59,200 Speaker 2: that discussion happening now with government that it can't just 186 00:09:59,240 --> 00:10:01,440 Speaker 2: be and hotspots forever. 187 00:10:02,160 --> 00:10:06,199 Speaker 1: Well. Javishryan, the head of the Northern Territory Education Union, 188 00:10:06,280 --> 00:10:08,120 Speaker 1: it's good to speak with you this morning. Thanks so 189 00:10:08,200 --> 00:10:11,840 Speaker 1: much for your time. Good th Thanks, thank you,