1 00:00:00,480 --> 00:00:03,200 Speaker 1: Now a bit of a change of hase, and we 2 00:00:03,279 --> 00:00:06,120 Speaker 1: know that a major biosecurity exercise is going to start 3 00:00:06,160 --> 00:00:09,520 Speaker 1: in the Northern Territory today. It's aiming to ramp up 4 00:00:09,800 --> 00:00:14,720 Speaker 1: preparedness for emergency animal diseases. Exercise rain Tree is going 5 00:00:14,760 --> 00:00:17,680 Speaker 1: to be taking place over three days at a mock 6 00:00:17,920 --> 00:00:21,520 Speaker 1: infected property near the New South near the Northern Territory 7 00:00:21,840 --> 00:00:24,799 Speaker 1: should say in wa border. Now joining me on the 8 00:00:24,840 --> 00:00:27,440 Speaker 1: line to tell us a little bit more is Chief 9 00:00:27,560 --> 00:00:32,000 Speaker 1: Ventory Officer for the Northern Territory, Doctor Rob Williams. Good 10 00:00:32,040 --> 00:00:32,599 Speaker 1: morning to. 11 00:00:32,640 --> 00:00:35,279 Speaker 2: You, Rob, Good morning to you Keith. 12 00:00:35,520 --> 00:00:37,520 Speaker 1: Thanks so much for your time this morning. Now, Rob, 13 00:00:37,720 --> 00:00:40,480 Speaker 1: what diseases will this exercise focus on? 14 00:00:41,880 --> 00:00:45,159 Speaker 2: Yes, So the main objective of the exercise is to 15 00:00:45,280 --> 00:00:52,120 Speaker 2: try and test our systems amongst communications between the different jurisdictions, 16 00:00:52,120 --> 00:00:56,280 Speaker 2: so Western Australia, Northern Territory in Queensland. And the disease 17 00:00:56,320 --> 00:00:59,960 Speaker 2: that we've used in this scenario is called lumpy skin disease, 18 00:01:00,440 --> 00:01:03,480 Speaker 2: which unfortunately Australia is still free of lumpy skin disease, 19 00:01:03,880 --> 00:01:06,120 Speaker 2: but we're using it as our mock scenario. 20 00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:09,200 Speaker 1: Now, tell me what kind of like what sort of 21 00:01:09,200 --> 00:01:14,440 Speaker 1: scenario is going to unfold and how will it all work. 22 00:01:16,040 --> 00:01:18,679 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's a very good question. So part of the 23 00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:21,280 Speaker 2: exercise is that we don't know what's happening. We get 24 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:25,440 Speaker 2: an external consultant to throw in what we call inject 25 00:01:25,520 --> 00:01:28,039 Speaker 2: into the exercise. So there's a lot of unknown but 26 00:01:28,080 --> 00:01:31,360 Speaker 2: the starting point is that we have detected lumpy skin 27 00:01:31,440 --> 00:01:35,360 Speaker 2: disease on a property and it's in the Northern Territory 28 00:01:35,400 --> 00:01:39,080 Speaker 2: and we're starting our planning for that, and that's the 29 00:01:40,760 --> 00:01:43,960 Speaker 2: starting point. And then what happens during the exercise, Well, 30 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:48,680 Speaker 2: that's it's like a secret, Yeah, one of the secret 31 00:01:48,720 --> 00:01:52,520 Speaker 2: sort of surprise party. 32 00:01:52,800 --> 00:01:54,840 Speaker 1: Yeah, no, I reckon that's a good idea because it 33 00:01:54,920 --> 00:01:57,400 Speaker 1: truly puts like it truly puts us to the test 34 00:01:57,440 --> 00:01:59,559 Speaker 1: then to make sure that if something like this does 35 00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:03,160 Speaker 1: happen that you know what to do and how to respond. 36 00:02:04,400 --> 00:02:09,520 Speaker 1: Rob tell us who's involved and what capabilities are kind 37 00:02:09,520 --> 00:02:11,639 Speaker 1: of going to be put to the test. 38 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:16,440 Speaker 2: Yeah, So most of the testing is around our communications. 39 00:02:16,520 --> 00:02:21,320 Speaker 2: So the people involved are the governments from Western Australia, 40 00:02:21,960 --> 00:02:26,640 Speaker 2: Northern Territory, Queensland, and also we have federal government involvement 41 00:02:27,400 --> 00:02:30,560 Speaker 2: in terms of they've actually provided the funding for this 42 00:02:30,639 --> 00:02:35,200 Speaker 2: program that we're using to do the exercise, but also 43 00:02:35,240 --> 00:02:38,680 Speaker 2: we have our industry alongside us, so we're trying to 44 00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:43,160 Speaker 2: test our communications between governments and then also between industry 45 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:46,000 Speaker 2: and government as well. So industry play a crucial part 46 00:02:46,080 --> 00:02:49,639 Speaker 2: in any disease response and we rely heavily on them, 47 00:02:49,840 --> 00:02:53,920 Speaker 2: particularly on the ground, to assist us with disease control. 48 00:02:54,280 --> 00:02:57,920 Speaker 1: And how vital is it really this preparedness for the 49 00:02:57,960 --> 00:03:00,000 Speaker 1: Northern Territory's livestock industy. 50 00:03:00,040 --> 00:03:04,359 Speaker 2: Straight it's very vital for us because we have a 51 00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:07,160 Speaker 2: more than a billion dollar cattle industry that we're trying 52 00:03:07,160 --> 00:03:09,839 Speaker 2: to protect. And one of the key things is we're 53 00:03:09,919 --> 00:03:12,760 Speaker 2: very fortunate in Australia. We're diseased free. We don't have 54 00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:15,600 Speaker 2: foot mouth disease, we don't have lumpy skin disease, we're 55 00:03:15,639 --> 00:03:18,320 Speaker 2: free of all these major diseases. Unfortunately, we don't have 56 00:03:18,360 --> 00:03:21,200 Speaker 2: many outbreaks, so we don't get to test our systems 57 00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:24,280 Speaker 2: in the real world. So one way to compensate for that, 58 00:03:24,320 --> 00:03:26,040 Speaker 2: to make sure that we are as prepared as we 59 00:03:26,160 --> 00:03:29,400 Speaker 2: possibly can be is sort to run an exercise, a simulation. 60 00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:32,720 Speaker 1: How's everyone feeling like? Is it sort of exciting or 61 00:03:32,720 --> 00:03:34,680 Speaker 1: are people a bit nervous. How are they feeling. 62 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:38,480 Speaker 2: Yeah, there's a mixture of responses, but I think most 63 00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:41,120 Speaker 2: people get the adrenaline kick in, Like one of the 64 00:03:41,160 --> 00:03:44,000 Speaker 2: good things about exercises if it is a little bit 65 00:03:44,040 --> 00:03:46,080 Speaker 2: of acting, but if you do put yourself in the 66 00:03:46,680 --> 00:03:50,080 Speaker 2: actual scenario and you know, you try to imagine as 67 00:03:50,160 --> 00:03:52,040 Speaker 2: much as possible this is happening, you do get that 68 00:03:52,240 --> 00:03:55,640 Speaker 2: bit of an adrenaline Russia. It's one of those things 69 00:03:55,680 --> 00:03:58,600 Speaker 2: where emergencies do bring out the best in people, but 70 00:03:58,640 --> 00:04:01,240 Speaker 2: they also have to be very careful that we don't 71 00:04:01,600 --> 00:04:04,720 Speaker 2: burn out. Unfortunately, in the case of an exercise, it's 72 00:04:04,760 --> 00:04:07,200 Speaker 2: only occurring over to an half days, so it's not 73 00:04:07,360 --> 00:04:10,240 Speaker 2: like a real world event where unfortunately and you might 74 00:04:10,360 --> 00:04:12,440 Speaker 2: go on for weeks or months where you would have 75 00:04:12,520 --> 00:04:16,360 Speaker 2: to rotate staff out. And we are thinking about those 76 00:04:16,400 --> 00:04:18,080 Speaker 2: sorts of things because it does take a lot of 77 00:04:18,120 --> 00:04:21,040 Speaker 2: people to mount an emergency response. 78 00:04:21,160 --> 00:04:22,880 Speaker 1: Well, good stuff. It sounds like it's going to be 79 00:04:22,880 --> 00:04:25,440 Speaker 1: a busy time, so I appreciate you taking the time 80 00:04:25,480 --> 00:04:27,719 Speaker 1: to have a chat with us this morning. Chief Venory 81 00:04:27,760 --> 00:04:31,640 Speaker 1: Officer for the Northern Territory, Doctor Rob Williams. 82 00:04:31,960 --> 00:04:33,440 Speaker 2: Thanks very much, appreciate your time. 83 00:04:33,560 --> 00:04:35,440 Speaker 1: Thank you Thanks for having a chat with us.