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Speaker 1: Obviously we've got the Health Minister on this morning to

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Speaker 1: talk about the expanded pharmacy services, but before we get

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Speaker 1: into that, I am very keen to ask him a

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Speaker 1: little bit more about the situation with Corrections. Joining me

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Speaker 1: on the line right now is the Northern Territory Health Minister,

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Speaker 1: Steve Edgington. Good morning to you.

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Speaker 2: Steve, Oh, good morning Katie, and good morning to the listener.

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Speaker 1: Now, Steve, certainly very aware that it's not your portfolio,

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Speaker 1: but I do want to just ask you this morning.

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Speaker 1: We know that the Northern Territory government is in acting well.

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Speaker 1: Corrections in acting emergency measures across the Northern Territory's prisons

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Speaker 1: and police watchhouses to address extraordinary risks posed by record overcrowding.

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Speaker 2: Now.

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Speaker 1: In a statement on the weekend, the Department said prisoner

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Speaker 1: numbers across the Northern Territory had reached twenty three hundred

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Speaker 1: and seventy on Friday, following a rapid and continuing surge

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Speaker 1: of inmates. Minister, it is a concern for government, no doubt,

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Speaker 1: especially when we've got a situation where there's the looming

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Speaker 1: threat of industrial action.

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Speaker 2: Well, it's a very serious situation that we find ourselves

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Speaker 2: in Katie. You know, the cop has been in government

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Speaker 2: now for just roughly about nine weeks and here we

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Speaker 2: are faced with a critical emergency regarding serious overcrowding in

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Speaker 2: not only correctional facilities but police watchhouses at the moment

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Speaker 2: have a number of prisoners, particularly in Darwin and Nalla Springs.

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Speaker 2: So it is a worry. But look, the commissioner, Commissioner

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Speaker 2: of Aali has done a fantastic job and we're right

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Speaker 2: behind commission of Vali. He's implemented an emergency response and

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Speaker 2: he's moving prisoners to where he thinks that they will

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Speaker 2: be best housed at the moment. And look, I must

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Speaker 2: say that not only has the commissioners done a great job,

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Speaker 2: but from everything I've read and seen so far, I

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Speaker 2: really do want to put a shout out to the

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Speaker 2: staff in correctional facilities at the moment because they're no

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Speaker 2: doubt feeling a lot of pressure at the moment, but

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Speaker 2: they responded just like many many do in emergencies and

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Speaker 2: they've done a magnificent job. So we're thanks to all

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Speaker 2: the correctional officers.

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Speaker 1: Minister, have you had any word this morning, Like I've

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Speaker 1: no doubt that the cabinet's probably met and discussed this

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Speaker 1: emergency situation. Is there any word this morning from what

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Speaker 1: you know as to whether those correctional stuff are going

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Speaker 1: to take industrial action and what that could mean.

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Speaker 2: Oh, look, I've had no updata in regard to any

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Speaker 2: industrial action, but at the moment from what I can

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Speaker 2: see based in Tennant Creek at the moment, But everything

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Speaker 2: I've read and seen at the moment is that the

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Speaker 2: correctional staff, Look, they're on the front line, they're doing

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Speaker 2: a magnificent job, and I certainly haven't heard of any

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Speaker 2: industrial action, So full credit to the staff on the

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Speaker 2: work they're doing at the moment.

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Speaker 1: Well, Steve, we are going to catch up with the

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Speaker 1: union after ten o'clock, so we'll get a bit of

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Speaker 1: an update. Regardless, I do just want to ask you,

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Speaker 1: though you are indeed a former police officer, do you

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Speaker 1: think that this current situation is going to stop the

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Speaker 1: police from being able to do their jobs in any way?

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Speaker 2: Look, I don't think so. I think at this stage

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Speaker 2: I've got no doubt that the police are looking at

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Speaker 2: how best to use the facilities they've got. Corrections and

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Speaker 2: police have always worked hand in hand together, and I

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Speaker 2: suspect that the Commissioner of Police and Commission of Ali

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Speaker 2: from Corrections are no doubt in regular contact and working

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Speaker 2: together to find it to work through what the best

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Speaker 2: solutions look like. So yeah, yeah, under under these situations,

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Speaker 2: that's what that's what our people do, and that's what

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Speaker 2: they're doing at the moment.

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Speaker 1: And it does sound as though you're confident that the

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Speaker 1: situation can be managed without well, anyone breaking out of

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Speaker 1: the prison or any guards I guess being put in

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Speaker 1: dangerous situations or correctional stuff being placed in dangerous situations.

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Speaker 2: Look, Commission of Ali is a very experienced officer and

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Speaker 2: I've got no doubt that him and his team are

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Speaker 2: working together with the frontline staff, and of course we're

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Speaker 2: talking about very experienced staff that deal with prisoners on

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Speaker 2: a daily basis. I'm sure that they've got proper plans

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Speaker 2: in place and that the management of prisoners. Look I've

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Speaker 2: got full confidence in the Commissioner and the staff at

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Speaker 2: Corrections at the moment, and once again they're doing a

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Speaker 2: magnificent job, Minister.

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Speaker 1: Quite a bit happening this morning, and I know that

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Speaker 1: the Northern Territory News is today reporting that NT Health

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Speaker 1: told a union to reign in protesters unhappy with the government.

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Speaker 1: That's what leaked emails have revealed. Their protests were reportedly

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Speaker 1: planned against you by doctors concerned about the health impacts

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Speaker 1: of some of the colp's crime and alcohol policies. The

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Speaker 1: protests were time to coincide with your appearance at a

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Speaker 1: national Rural Medicine conference held in Darwin on Friday, but

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Speaker 1: were canceled when you didn't attend. Did you not attend

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Speaker 1: because you knew that there was going to be those protests?

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Speaker 2: Now, Look, certainly there's a whole range of things that

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Speaker 2: get presented to my office and one of the things

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Speaker 2: that I have found being the Health Minister is that

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Speaker 2: there's certainly been a high demand for me in my

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Speaker 2: capacity as the Minister, to attend a range of functions. Look,

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Speaker 2: I get told about a whole range of functions and

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Speaker 2: most of the time it's a battle of where I

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Speaker 2: can fit different functions into my diary. Look, I did

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Speaker 2: get to face with that question at a press conference

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Speaker 2: on Friday about some information circulating from the Chief Executive

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Speaker 2: that was brought to my attention Friday, So look, that

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Speaker 2: was the first time I had heard of that. But

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Speaker 2: the reality is that the chief executive, he runs the

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Speaker 2: organization and if he thought it was necessary to bring

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Speaker 2: to the attention of staff the need to follow the

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Speaker 2: provisions of a code of conduct, then that's a matter

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Speaker 2: for the chief executive.

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Speaker 1: I mean, do you think that it's unacceptable for public

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Speaker 1: servants to protest?

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Speaker 2: Look, I think when it comes to protesting, I think

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Speaker 2: I don't know what the nature of the protest would be,

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Speaker 2: whether a large crowd or how that protest would be done.

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Speaker 2: But when it comes to protesting, of course, there's nothing

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Speaker 2: wrong with peaceful protests. But on the other hand, you know,

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Speaker 2: public servants are bound by the Code of Conduct, and

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Speaker 2: look at the fine line between protesting, expressing views and

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Speaker 2: complying with the provisions of a code of conduct which

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Speaker 2: every public sector employee signs up to when they become

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Speaker 2: an employee of the government.

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Speaker 1: Minister, do you have any concerns with the fact that

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Speaker 1: you know, by the look of this report and by

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Speaker 1: the look of what is being said, you have got

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Speaker 1: some healthcare professionals who obviously don't agree with some of

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Speaker 1: the legislation that the COLP is introducing and passing. But

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Speaker 1: then you've got a situation where many members of the

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Speaker 1: public well voted for this and this is the policy

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Speaker 1: reform that they've been pushing for. I mean, is it

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Speaker 1: going to be difficult for you to continue to push

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Speaker 1: forward the government to push forward with this policy agenda

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Speaker 1: if you've then got some within different areas of the

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Speaker 1: p bblic service that don't agree with us.

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Speaker 2: Look, it's one of those things. Not everybody is going

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Speaker 2: to agree with our policy agenda. We went to the

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Speaker 2: election in August and overwhelmingly we were voted in with

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Speaker 2: a seventeen sect majority. So we made it very clear

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Speaker 2: over quite a lengthy period of time what our policy

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Speaker 2: was in regard to putting in a presumption against baal

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Speaker 2: for certain violent offenses, reducing the age of criminal responsibility,

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Speaker 2: posting and boasting, ram raid laws, and of course mandatory

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Speaker 2: sentencing to protect our frontline workers, and also the nuisance

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Speaker 2: public drinking laws. We made that very clear going into

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Speaker 2: the election. But look, there's always going to be people

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Speaker 2: whether they're here in the Northern Territory this and I

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Speaker 2: must say that I've had letters and correspondence from people

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Speaker 2: outside of the territory that are opposed to our laws.

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Speaker 2: But that's the nature of the Democrat we live in.

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Speaker 2: Not everybody is going to agree. So look, I take

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Speaker 2: all that into account and at the end of the day,

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Speaker 2: we're elected on a platform of reducing crime, rebuilding the economy,

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Speaker 2: and restoring the territory lifestyle. That's what we're focused on

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Speaker 2: and that's what we're delivering.

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Speaker 1: Well, Steve, let's talk about what I actually got you

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Speaker 1: on the show to talk about this morning, and that

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Speaker 1: is the expanded services when it comes to community pharmacists

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Speaker 1: being able to provide some of these expanded services to

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Speaker 1: territorians from today. So it's with the commencement of uncomplicated

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Speaker 1: urinary tract infection or UTIs diagnosed and then that treatment.

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Speaker 1: What does it mean for our listeners this morning? To

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Speaker 1: those listening that are thinking, oh, what exactly does these

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Speaker 1: expanded services, what's it going to mean to me?

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Speaker 2: So what it means is that we're expanding the scope

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Speaker 2: of what services pharmacists can deliver across the Northern Territory.

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Speaker 2: And you're exactly right. As of today, those pharmacists that

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Speaker 2: have done the training can diagnose and treat people coming

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Speaker 2: into the pharmacists for the UTI, the urine tract infections.

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Speaker 2: But over the next twelve months. We're working with the

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Speaker 2: Pharmacy Guild to ensure that further services are available and

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Speaker 2: there will be up to I think twenty three uncomplicated

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Speaker 2: conditions that pharmacists will be able to treat in the pharmacy.

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Speaker 1: And Steve, how many pharmacies are going to provide this service?

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Speaker 1: Is it going to be across the border? Will it

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Speaker 1: just be a select pharmacies.

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Speaker 2: Well, it's a matter of take up, but the interest

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Speaker 2: so far has been very positive. In the Northern Territory, Katie,

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Speaker 2: we have forty one community pharmacies located right around Darwin, Palmerston, Catherine,

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Speaker 2: Nullen Boy, Tenant Creek and of course down in Ala Springs.

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Speaker 2: So it's not going to be something that you can

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Speaker 2: just start treating different conditions for overnight. What it requires

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Speaker 2: is there will be well training put in place. If

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Speaker 2: a pharmacist wants to expand the services that they deliver,

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Speaker 2: then they'll need to participate in a graduate certificate which

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Speaker 2: is essentially to cover prescribed training and clinical practice training.

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Speaker 2: So that will happen over the next couple of years.

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Speaker 2: And look, the colp government we're proud to commit one

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Speaker 2: million dollars to assist with that training for pharmacists, so

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Speaker 2: it's not just a matter of something happening overnight. Pharmacists

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Speaker 2: will be able to treat, you know, whether it's school

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Speaker 2: stores or infections, give vaccines and all those sorts of things.

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Speaker 1: A bit easier for territorians to be able to get

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Speaker 1: some of that access as well, because it can sometimes

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Speaker 1: be quite difficult to get into your GP and then

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Speaker 1: the cost sometimes you know, it can be fairly high.

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Speaker 2: Oh exactly, and look, this is it's going to be

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Speaker 2: good for patients that some of the patients might have

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Speaker 2: some idea what their problem is going in to see

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Speaker 2: a pharmacist. And of course pharmacists are some of the

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Speaker 2: most trusted professionals that we have, so an individual going

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Speaker 2: into the pharmacy, it's going to ease the burden of

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Speaker 2: trying to get an appointment at the GP. Here in

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Speaker 2: places like Tenant Creek and i hear in Darwin as well,

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Speaker 2: it's quite difficult sometimes just to get an appointment with

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Speaker 2: a GP. But it's also going to take pressure off

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Speaker 2: the hospitals as well, where some people present at hospitals

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Speaker 2: for basic conditions, uncomplicated conditions that could be not only

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Speaker 2: treated by a GP, but now being able to go

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Speaker 2: to the pharmacy is certainly going to take a lot

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Speaker 2: of pressure off frontline staff in hospitals and our GP service. Yeah.

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Speaker 1: Look, if you have just joined us, we have got

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Speaker 1: Steve Edgington, the Northern Territory Health Minister, on the show

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Speaker 1: with us right now, Steve, before I let you go,

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Speaker 1: I know the Under Treasurer is out well around about now,

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Speaker 1: in fact, enabling Territorians to really get a good look

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Speaker 1: into the budget and have a little look at the

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Speaker 1: state of the Northern Territory economy. Now one area where

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Speaker 1: we know that there's been a massive overspend over recent years,

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Speaker 1: but particularly as I understand it, in the last financial year,

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Speaker 1: based on a question that was asked last week in Parliament,

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Speaker 1: is within health. Is it a concern for you and

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Speaker 1: how do you hope to try and deal with the

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Speaker 1: overspend that we see quite often when it comes to health.

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Speaker 1: Given the enormous issues that we've got right across the

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Speaker 1: Northern Territory with sick territorians.

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Speaker 2: It's a huge worry Cody. And yes, the under Treasurer

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Speaker 2: will be at well as we speak. I think it's

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Speaker 2: quarter to ten, so I've got no doubt he's speaking

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Speaker 2: at the moment, but he'll be delivering our presentation about

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Speaker 2: the economic outlook for the Northern Territory. And as we know,

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Speaker 2: we're facing a nine billion dollar debt at the moment,

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Speaker 2: but significantly there's a one point two four billion dollar

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Speaker 2: deficit that we're facing at the moment. So when it

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Speaker 2: comes to health, you know, coming into the position just

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Speaker 2: nine weeks ago, one of the most critical issues that

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Speaker 2: I was advised of was that the current health budget

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Speaker 2: is two hundred and eighty million dollars overspent, so that's

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Speaker 2: a significant part of you know, the budget for health

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Speaker 2: is just over two billion, but two hundred and eighty

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Speaker 2: million is a significant overspend. So look, I went out

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Speaker 2: to the hospital on Friday to have a look at

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Speaker 2: the the construction starting on the new ward and the

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Speaker 2: new mental health facility. But it's important moving forward that

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Speaker 2: we're able to look at some cost saving measures. And

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Speaker 2: one of the most important things that was raised with

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Speaker 2: me is the lack of age care facilities in Darwin

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Speaker 2: and certainly the cost of having elderly patients and age

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Speaker 2: care patients in the wards at the hospital. So that's

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Speaker 2: putting an enormous strain on the hospital at the moment.

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Speaker 2: So what we are looking at doing is working with

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Speaker 2: the FEDS to try to attract some funding to build

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Speaker 2: a a purpose built age care facility to take some

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Speaker 2: of that pressure off the hospital. But at the moment

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Speaker 2: two hundred and eighty million overspent. I'm working with the

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Speaker 2: CEO at the moment to look at where those cost

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Speaker 2: pressures are and what can be done to you know,

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Speaker 2: it's going to take time. We're not going to be

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Speaker 2: able to bring that budget back into balance overnight, but

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Speaker 2: we'll be working through to see what some of those

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Speaker 2: cost pressures are at the moment.

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Speaker 1: Steve, We've just got a message come through somebody saying, Hi, Katie,

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Speaker 1: could you please ask the Health Minister about the petition

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Speaker 1: presented in Parliament a couple of weeks ago asking to

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Speaker 1: suspend the medical transitioning of children. Now, this is something

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Speaker 1: that we've spoken to Robin Lamley about on the show

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Speaker 1: last week as well. Steve. Is this something that you,

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Speaker 1: as a Health Minister are going to look into.

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Speaker 2: It's certainly something that I'll be getting information. I was

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Speaker 2: in Parliament when that petition was presented to Parliament by

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Speaker 2: the Member for Ara lun. What happens with petitions is

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Speaker 2: that once it's table and it has now been referred

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Speaker 2: to the p Public Accounts Committee, so I've got no

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Speaker 2: doubt that they will have a good look at what

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Speaker 2: the particulars are of that petition. But certainly it's something

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Speaker 2: that I'll be seeking a bit of information about because

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Speaker 2: it's an area that I'm not overly familiar with. But

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Speaker 2: the Public Accounts Committee will also look into that, and

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Speaker 2: what the process is is that the Public Accounts Committee

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Speaker 2: will decide whether that comes back into Parliament for debates,

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Speaker 2: So that could be something on the agenda in the future,

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Speaker 2: but that'll be a matter for the Public Accounts Committee.

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Speaker 1: I mean, do you think it is something that needs

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Speaker 1: to be looked into? Are you? Like I know that

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Speaker 1: the concern that was raised is that there might be

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Speaker 1: people that are quite young going through this process and

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Speaker 1: whether there needs to be a closer look at it.

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Speaker 1: I mean, what do you think.

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Speaker 2: Well, it's certainly something that I want to find out

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Speaker 2: a bit more about because look, one of the issues

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Speaker 2: when it comes to health and mental health, there's some

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Speaker 2: big issues and some of these issues impact on young

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Speaker 2: people's mental health as well. Well, and it's very important

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Speaker 2: that for me as the Minister for Health and Mental

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Speaker 2: Health that I get a bit more information about this

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Speaker 2: and find out what's actually happening in the territory around

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Speaker 2: these issues. So I'll be looking at this more closely

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Speaker 2: over the next couple of weeks just to get a

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Speaker 2: better understanding of what are the issues and you know,

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Speaker 2: what's what sort of treatments are being provided in the

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Speaker 2: Northern Territory and what sort of impact it's having on

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Speaker 2: young people.

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Speaker 1: Well, Steve Edgington really appreciate your time this morning. I've

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Speaker 1: no doubt that we'll talk again sometime soon. Thank you

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Speaker 1: very much for having a chat with me this morning.

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Speaker 2: Thank you, Katie, and good morning to all the listeners.

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Speaker 1: Thank you.