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Speaker 1: There is plenty of work underway at the moment in

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Speaker 1: a real effort to try to make sure that Territorians

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Speaker 1: are vaccinated. And I know that well, there's plenty of

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Speaker 1: work going on with Danilla Dilber and also AM SANT

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Speaker 1: in an effort to try to make sure that our

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Speaker 1: Indigenous Territorians are vaccinated. And joining us on the line

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Speaker 1: right now is John Patterson, the CEO of AM SANT.

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Speaker 1: Good morning to you, John, and a very.

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Speaker 2: Good morning to you Katie. Happy Tuesday.

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Speaker 1: Happy Tuesday, John. I know that you've launched something a

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Speaker 1: little bit different this morning, the Bus Stopping the Pandemic campaign.

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Speaker 1: Tell us a bit about what this is.

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Speaker 2: Yes, Well, in partnership with our local Aboriginal Medical service

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Speaker 2: he at Donana Dilber and Congress and Alas Springs and

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Speaker 2: the support of the tertiary government through the bus services,

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Speaker 2: we've actually identified and realized that messaging key messaging to

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Speaker 2: a most vulnerable population, the indigenous popular of the Northern Territory,

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Speaker 2: needs to be paramounts. We've brainstormed and come up with

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Speaker 2: a number of initiatives and one of those was getting

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Speaker 2: the vaccination signed on the back of four buses in

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Speaker 2: the Dale and Palmston region which will be on those

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Speaker 2: main arterial routes and two buses in Nallo Springs that

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Speaker 2: will carry these key messages and the signing on the

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Speaker 2: back of those buses as well. So we thought given

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Speaker 2: that a lot of our mob you know, do catch buses,

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Speaker 2: that's you know, mode of transport, we thought, well she

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Speaker 2: was with you know, while they're catching buses, they can

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Speaker 2: perhaps see some of those key messages as well. So

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Speaker 2: it's a great way to get those key messages out,

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Speaker 2: you know, buses and the public eye most of the

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Speaker 2: time and anything coding, anything to get those messages out

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Speaker 2: and get encourage people to get vaccinated. We need to

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Speaker 2: need to support and get on with. Initiative we launched

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Speaker 2: on the weekend was with the AFL and T a

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Speaker 2: partnership with AFL and T. The foty season just started

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Speaker 2: in the northern at the top end yep. And yeah,

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Speaker 2: we've got great support from AFL and T and you

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Speaker 2: know they're not adulbre again and am sad to put

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Speaker 2: up key messaging and signage in the change rooms in

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Speaker 2: the taught ablution blocks down a TiO More and other

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Speaker 2: public places around the around the building there, the grandstand

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Speaker 2: and other key points where people hopefully we'll see the

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Speaker 2: signage and we'll take heed of those key messages.

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Speaker 1: I reckon it's a good idea, John, and I think

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Speaker 1: like you'd said, you know, whatever we can do to

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Speaker 1: try to make sure that as many Territorians as possible

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Speaker 1: are vaccinated, particularly our indigenous territorians. How are those vaccination

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Speaker 1: rates going from your perspective? Are you finding that you've

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Speaker 1: had a bit of a you know, a better run

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Speaker 1: over the recent weeks. So since we last spoke.

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Speaker 2: We've had some small games, Katie. I've been on leave

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Speaker 2: recovering from some minor surgia for the last three weeks,

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Speaker 2: so there's my first week back. I'm catching up with

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Speaker 2: all the details as we speak, but I am aware

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Speaker 2: that Onion, any our member service, under any health service

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Speaker 2: in the Barkley region, they've come up with a very

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Speaker 2: detailed plan, vaccination rollout plan for the entire region there.

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Speaker 2: So the government, as you're probably where the federal government,

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Speaker 2: have prioritized four regions now in the Northern Territory. That's

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Speaker 2: been the Berkeley East, Arnham Down and Palmerston and they've

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Speaker 2: now included the Ala Springs and areas around Ola Springs

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Speaker 2: because there's priority areas. So each of those areas need

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Speaker 2: to develop a vaccination rollout plan. Most of them have

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Speaker 2: done or in the process of near completing. YEP, and

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Speaker 2: we'll throw everything out getting those numbers up in thoset

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Speaker 2: four particular areas where the numbers are slightly down. Katie.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, well, I think that's again a good idea. We

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Speaker 1: want to ensure that everybody is vaccinated. John, are there

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Speaker 1: any you know, like, are there any areas where you're

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Speaker 1: still a bit concerned or do you feel as though

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Speaker 1: we are going to get to those rates? I know

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Speaker 1: that you're aiming high. You're aiming for that ninety percent.

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Speaker 1: Do you feel as though that is going to be possible?

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Speaker 2: It's going to take a big effort, Katie, but we

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Speaker 2: need to aim that that high. You know, we this

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Speaker 2: deadly virus gets into any of those remote communities as

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Speaker 2: we saw in you know, western New South Wales, some

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Speaker 2: of those regional communities there that are highly populated with

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Speaker 2: original people, it'll it'll take. It's told. You know, there

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Speaker 2: are big numbers infected given the population. You know, chronic illnesses,

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Speaker 2: most vulnerable overcrowding, et cetera, et cetera. It'll have a huge,

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Speaker 2: each detrimental impact on our community. It's not a matter

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Speaker 2: of if it'll be you know when it gets there.

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Speaker 2: It's coming, there's no doubt. Well, I don't think we

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Speaker 2: can keep it out, No, and that's something we've got

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Speaker 2: to face the reality here, Katie and work on the

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Speaker 2: base that this will get in the teratory and possibly

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Speaker 2: into the communities. Hence, while we're pushing really really hard

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Speaker 2: for everybody to seriously consider getting vaccinated, yeah, we can't

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Speaker 2: stress that message. More important than and getting vaccinated to

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Speaker 2: protect yourself, protect your family, and protect the community and

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Speaker 2: protect the territory.

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Speaker 1: John, we've been talking at lengths over the last few weeks,

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Speaker 1: and I know you've been on leave, but we've been

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Speaker 1: talking at lengths over the last few weeks about the

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Speaker 1: stress on our health system at the moment, particularly in

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Speaker 1: the Palmerston Regional Hospital and also in the Royal Darwin Hospital.

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Speaker 1: We know that there was another code yellow called in

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Speaker 1: about a week ago. We've been speaking to the Nurses'

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Speaker 1: Union and also to the Australian Medical Association's Northern Territory

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Speaker 1: branch about the need for more nurses here in the territory.

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Speaker 1: Have you got much concern in this space, particularly when

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Speaker 1: you talk about you know, the possibility of COVID and

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Speaker 1: the delta strain you know being here in the territory

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Speaker 1: at some.

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Speaker 2: Point, Absolutely, Katie, And look, it's an issue workforce issue

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Speaker 2: for the territory government. But we want to work with

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Speaker 2: all levels of government to ensure that we can secure

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Speaker 2: the workforce, the surge workforce, bring them into the territory

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Speaker 2: and wherever we can get them from. Let's put our

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Speaker 2: strategic thinking caps on, because we are also in need

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Speaker 2: of nurses in our remote clinics as well. Both the

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Speaker 2: territory government system health system along with ours are in

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Speaker 2: a similar boat in regards as workforce requirement and urgent need.

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Speaker 2: And you know, we definitely want the governments to can

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Speaker 2: consider an allocation of nurses and other clinicians that we

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Speaker 2: can secure here for the Northern Territory to also be

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Speaker 2: working in our sector. And we made that point quite

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Speaker 2: clear from the outset. We knew that, you know, there

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Speaker 2: will come a time when we're going to put strain

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Speaker 2: on the workforce in the health system right across the

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Speaker 2: board from primary health care to tertiary and hospital, you know,

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Speaker 2: kid care, and we've just got to be at the ready, Katie.

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Speaker 2: And we've got to do everything in our powers to

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Speaker 2: ensure that we keep every territory and safe and given

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Speaker 2: the best care if this deadly virus gets into the place,

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Speaker 2: and run the MUC like it has been learning in

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Speaker 2: other jurisdictions, John.

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Speaker 1: Do you have any idea how many stuff you know

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Speaker 1: you require? I know that you said that surge workforce

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Speaker 1: and thinking about putting our thinking caps on to try

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Speaker 1: to make sure that we are recruiting. I know that

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Speaker 1: cath Hatcher from the nursing and we're for a unit

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Speaker 1: it set up to one hundred. The Health Minister was

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Speaker 1: the show earlier this morning and said that they're looking

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Speaker 1: at between fifty to seventy staff. Do you have any

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Speaker 1: idea how many staff realistically we require out in some

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Speaker 1: of those remote communities.

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Speaker 2: Look for some unmown reason, the number of fifty comes

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Speaker 2: to my mind, Katie, but that might be refreshed whilst

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Speaker 2: I've been on leave. But that's the sort of numbers

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Speaker 2: I'd rather have more than not enough, you know. So

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Speaker 2: we've got our game aim for a large number of

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Speaker 2: clinicians that we can get into the territory, whether they

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Speaker 2: be from overseas or nationally. It's a big struggle, a

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Speaker 2: big bear at the moment to get them from within

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Speaker 2: the another jurisdiction because of the lockdown and the enormous

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Speaker 2: rates of COVID unfortunately still in New South Wales to Victoria.

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Speaker 2: So look, we've got to really, like I say, put

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Speaker 2: our strategic thins and caps on about where we consume

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Speaker 2: secures this workforce and get the number of required phinicians

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Speaker 2: and territory.

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Speaker 1: Well. John Patterson, the CEO of am SAM, we always

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Speaker 1: appreciate your time. Thank you very much for having a

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Speaker 1: chat with us this morning, particularly on your first week

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Speaker 1: back at work. Thanks mate.

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Speaker 2: Thanks Ka for the continuing ACCE