1
00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,600
Speaker 1: Now as always, you know, I wanted a Northern Territory

2
00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:05,240
Speaker 1: Parliament during sittings to keep you up to date with

3
00:00:05,280 --> 00:00:07,880
Speaker 1: what's going on. And yesterday, at the start of question time,

4
00:00:08,160 --> 00:00:11,240
Speaker 1: the Health Minister tabled a petition with more than six

5
00:00:11,440 --> 00:00:15,319
Speaker 1: hundred signatures from territory nurses who are opposed to the

6
00:00:15,320 --> 00:00:19,360
Speaker 1: Middle Arm precinct. The petition, organized by the Australian Nursing

7
00:00:19,360 --> 00:00:24,279
Speaker 1: and Midwiffery Federation NT Branch Secretary Kath Hatcher, outlined a

8
00:00:24,320 --> 00:00:28,160
Speaker 1: number of concerns regarding the health impact stemming from fracking

9
00:00:28,240 --> 00:00:31,800
Speaker 1: shale gas in the Beaterloo Basin and processing it at

10
00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:35,760
Speaker 1: a petrochemical hub in Middle Arm. Kath joins me on

11
00:00:35,880 --> 00:00:37,720
Speaker 1: the line right now, Good morning.

12
00:00:37,479 --> 00:00:41,000
Speaker 2: To you, Kath Ah, Good morning Kadi, Kath.

13
00:00:40,840 --> 00:00:42,160
Speaker 3: Thanks so much for your time.

14
00:00:42,400 --> 00:00:45,120
Speaker 1: Now, what are your concerns and what are the concerns

15
00:00:45,159 --> 00:00:48,720
Speaker 1: of the six hundred odds nurses that have signed this

16
00:00:48,800 --> 00:00:51,239
Speaker 1: petition that was presented in Parliament yesterday.

17
00:00:52,920 --> 00:00:56,680
Speaker 2: Yes, so towards the end of last year I had

18
00:00:56,760 --> 00:01:00,640
Speaker 2: many nurses and midwives come to us in the office

19
00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:07,840
Speaker 2: stating their concerns around the gas and the processing of

20
00:01:08,920 --> 00:01:14,120
Speaker 2: potential petrochemical hub at Middle Arm, and we already have

21
00:01:14,480 --> 00:01:18,520
Speaker 2: a vulnerable population here in the territory in the top end,

22
00:01:19,280 --> 00:01:23,440
Speaker 2: and not just those living in the Palmerston Darwin area,

23
00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:28,160
Speaker 2: but also those people from remote from top end right

24
00:01:28,200 --> 00:01:32,640
Speaker 2: around that are coming to Darwin for their baby or

25
00:01:32,680 --> 00:01:38,000
Speaker 2: for surgery or some sort of treatment. They're getting potentially

26
00:01:38,040 --> 00:01:42,920
Speaker 2: going to be exposed to the petrol chemicals in the air,

27
00:01:43,160 --> 00:01:44,080
Speaker 2: in the air pollution.

28
00:01:44,840 --> 00:01:49,000
Speaker 1: So kas you know what health concerns, what health concerns

29
00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:51,280
Speaker 1: do you think will be associated with you know, with

30
00:01:51,360 --> 00:01:53,240
Speaker 1: a proposed petrochemical hup.

31
00:01:54,840 --> 00:01:59,800
Speaker 2: There's research to state that their increased risk of asthma,

32
00:02:00,360 --> 00:02:08,399
Speaker 2: cardiovascular disease, leukemia, particularly in children. And as you might

33
00:02:08,520 --> 00:02:11,440
Speaker 2: know or you might not know, that there is no

34
00:02:12,320 --> 00:02:22,160
Speaker 2: pediatric chemotherapy either ward or able ability to give chemotherapy

35
00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:26,600
Speaker 2: to infants or children here in the top end, so

36
00:02:27,240 --> 00:02:31,960
Speaker 2: they would need to go into States for treatment. But

37
00:02:32,120 --> 00:02:37,360
Speaker 2: you know, we already have a strain on our system

38
00:02:37,800 --> 00:02:42,720
Speaker 2: and there's been you know, seven episodes over fifty three

39
00:02:42,840 --> 00:02:48,040
Speaker 2: days last year with Code Yellows, which is insufficient staffing

40
00:02:48,280 --> 00:02:53,440
Speaker 2: and insufficient beds to meet the demands, which is already

41
00:02:53,560 --> 00:02:59,079
Speaker 2: producing unsafe potential unsafe working conditions. The staff are already

42
00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:04,080
Speaker 2: over work and there are shortages still, but not as

43
00:03:04,120 --> 00:03:06,800
Speaker 2: bad as what they were at the end of last year.

44
00:03:06,880 --> 00:03:10,680
Speaker 2: But you know, in five or ten years time, if

45
00:03:10,720 --> 00:03:15,800
Speaker 2: this petrochemical hub does get built in Middle Arm area,

46
00:03:16,160 --> 00:03:19,920
Speaker 2: then this is going to exacerbate the healthcare system of

47
00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:20,639
Speaker 2: the territory.

48
00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:21,280
Speaker 3: Kav.

49
00:03:21,360 --> 00:03:24,720
Speaker 1: I know there'll be others listening this morning though, saying,

50
00:03:24,880 --> 00:03:27,359
Speaker 1: you know, we had the budget handed down last week.

51
00:03:27,400 --> 00:03:30,840
Speaker 1: We're eleven billion dollars in debt. It's a massive amount

52
00:03:30,840 --> 00:03:32,720
Speaker 1: of money. And you've got the Chief Minister saying that

53
00:03:32,760 --> 00:03:36,720
Speaker 1: the gas industry and you know the proposal for Middle

54
00:03:36,880 --> 00:03:41,000
Speaker 1: Arm is going to be you know, a huge source

55
00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:44,480
Speaker 1: of own revenue for the Northern Territory and potentially you know,

56
00:03:44,600 --> 00:03:47,280
Speaker 1: fun things like the health system. So what do you

57
00:03:47,320 --> 00:03:49,440
Speaker 1: say to that, because it's obviously like it's going to

58
00:03:49,480 --> 00:03:50,320
Speaker 1: be a juggle.

59
00:03:50,440 --> 00:03:52,360
Speaker 3: Right, we're so deeply in debt.

60
00:03:52,680 --> 00:03:55,920
Speaker 1: And I understand the health concerns that you're raising, but

61
00:03:56,160 --> 00:03:58,280
Speaker 1: how are we going to afford to be able to

62
00:03:58,280 --> 00:04:00,480
Speaker 1: put on extra nurses or do anything if we don't

63
00:04:00,480 --> 00:04:04,040
Speaker 1: have our own on source revenue.

64
00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:09,240
Speaker 2: From what I understand, it was Prime Minister Our Anthony Albanezi,

65
00:04:09,440 --> 00:04:14,280
Speaker 2: who put forth one point five billion dollars of federal

66
00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:20,920
Speaker 2: government money to fund the middle Arm petrochemical help. And

67
00:04:21,400 --> 00:04:26,760
Speaker 2: you know, why can't he use that on the healthcare system,

68
00:04:26,920 --> 00:04:33,400
Speaker 2: not just in territory but all around the nation, Because continuous,

69
00:04:33,480 --> 00:04:37,640
Speaker 2: year after year, the Department of Health is always over

70
00:04:37,680 --> 00:04:41,720
Speaker 2: their budget. I don't feel that they're getting the appropriate

71
00:04:41,839 --> 00:04:45,719
Speaker 2: budget each year to be able to keep within that budget.

72
00:04:46,800 --> 00:04:50,760
Speaker 2: But there's already areas around the Department of Health that

73
00:04:50,880 --> 00:04:57,520
Speaker 2: they realize that they're not They're doing care for patients

74
00:04:58,080 --> 00:05:01,960
Speaker 2: because they need it, and potentially there might be areas

75
00:05:02,000 --> 00:05:07,960
Speaker 2: that they're not claiming for that money. So if they

76
00:05:08,120 --> 00:05:11,760
Speaker 2: thought those things out, it might help. But you know,

77
00:05:12,120 --> 00:05:16,800
Speaker 2: if there's money this much, billion dollars put towards the

78
00:05:18,160 --> 00:05:21,120
Speaker 2: petrochemical hub, then they're going to have to increase in

79
00:05:21,200 --> 00:05:25,240
Speaker 2: the future the amount of money on the Department of Health.

80
00:05:26,200 --> 00:05:28,680
Speaker 1: Look, I understand what you're saying, and I understand the

81
00:05:28,720 --> 00:05:31,160
Speaker 1: concerns that are being raised. I know that the Northern

82
00:05:31,279 --> 00:05:34,080
Speaker 1: Territory government had sort of moved away from calling it

83
00:05:34,120 --> 00:05:36,359
Speaker 1: a petrochemical hub and saying that it was going to

84
00:05:36,360 --> 00:05:39,760
Speaker 1: be a sustainable I can't remember exactly the words, but

85
00:05:39,800 --> 00:05:42,000
Speaker 1: a sustainable precinct, I think it was.

86
00:05:42,920 --> 00:05:44,400
Speaker 3: Are health professionals buying that?

87
00:05:47,080 --> 00:05:50,120
Speaker 2: Not the ones that I've been speaking to, And I've

88
00:05:50,160 --> 00:05:54,880
Speaker 2: also been speaking to pediatric doctors and other doctors as well,

89
00:05:55,040 --> 00:05:59,920
Speaker 2: and from the research that they've read and US nurse

90
00:06:00,400 --> 00:06:06,520
Speaker 2: and midwives have read, no, it's quite evident through the

91
00:06:06,680 --> 00:06:12,560
Speaker 2: US where they have these hubs and fracking of the gas,

92
00:06:13,560 --> 00:06:18,080
Speaker 2: they have extreme increase in the area of all of

93
00:06:18,120 --> 00:06:21,720
Speaker 2: these illnesses and increase of their hospitalization.

94
00:06:22,880 --> 00:06:25,400
Speaker 1: So, kas, do you feel at the moment that the

95
00:06:25,440 --> 00:06:29,000
Speaker 1: Northern Territory government and the federal government are taking your

96
00:06:29,080 --> 00:06:31,440
Speaker 1: concerns seriously? And what do you want to see them do?

97
00:06:34,440 --> 00:06:39,800
Speaker 2: About twelve oh, sorry, about four or five weeks ago,

98
00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:44,160
Speaker 2: we also went to the Senate inquiry into this and

99
00:06:44,360 --> 00:06:48,360
Speaker 2: we presented some medical people and myself and a couple

100
00:06:48,360 --> 00:06:52,800
Speaker 2: of other nurses. We represented the A and MF, and

101
00:06:53,320 --> 00:06:57,920
Speaker 2: we presented our case similar to what we've been talking about,

102
00:06:58,080 --> 00:07:01,760
Speaker 2: and the petition numbers that the time we're about five

103
00:07:01,880 --> 00:07:04,279
Speaker 2: hundred and at the moment they're up to six hundred

104
00:07:04,279 --> 00:07:08,560
Speaker 2: and sixty three, and they the Senate at the time

105
00:07:08,760 --> 00:07:12,880
Speaker 2: for that day, I felt and came away felt that

106
00:07:12,920 --> 00:07:17,320
Speaker 2: we had been listened to and hopefully we get some

107
00:07:17,400 --> 00:07:20,200
Speaker 2: good feedback from when they've collated all of that.

108
00:07:21,120 --> 00:07:24,280
Speaker 1: CAS, what do you say to those listening this morning?

109
00:07:24,480 --> 00:07:27,600
Speaker 1: They want this, they want fracking, they want gas, they

110
00:07:27,680 --> 00:07:30,880
Speaker 1: want the Middle Arm Precinct to go ahead this morning.

111
00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:35,560
Speaker 2: I know that it's a really good spin off and

112
00:07:35,600 --> 00:07:40,520
Speaker 2: it's a really good money maker, but most of this chemical,

113
00:07:42,320 --> 00:07:45,120
Speaker 2: whatever you're going to call it the petrochemical hub or

114
00:07:45,560 --> 00:07:50,480
Speaker 2: the fracking of all of the gas, etc. It's all

115
00:07:50,520 --> 00:07:54,240
Speaker 2: going overseas. And I know that it's a good money

116
00:07:54,280 --> 00:07:58,440
Speaker 2: maker for the territory and for the nation, but you

117
00:07:58,600 --> 00:08:01,880
Speaker 2: really got to consider that the people that are living

118
00:08:02,080 --> 00:08:07,920
Speaker 2: within that five kilometer radius of the hub and their

119
00:08:07,960 --> 00:08:12,000
Speaker 2: health conditions, because it's not it's going to get worse

120
00:08:12,440 --> 00:08:19,400
Speaker 2: because our air concentration of being normal some days it's

121
00:08:19,440 --> 00:08:26,679
Speaker 2: not normal already, and that's from the monitoring systems around

122
00:08:26,760 --> 00:08:30,440
Speaker 2: Darwin and Palmerston. Some days it's not normal, and that's

123
00:08:30,480 --> 00:08:34,319
Speaker 2: not always just through the dry season with the burnoff

124
00:08:34,360 --> 00:08:38,560
Speaker 2: with the fires. It can be through the wet season

125
00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:44,439
Speaker 2: and it could be burnof happening from impacts. So it's

126
00:08:44,480 --> 00:08:48,120
Speaker 2: already a concern of the air that we breathe in

127
00:08:48,160 --> 00:08:53,120
Speaker 2: and around the Palmestan Darwen area, and I would, you know,

128
00:08:53,280 --> 00:08:56,160
Speaker 2: have them look at all the research kas.

129
00:08:55,960 --> 00:08:57,280
Speaker 3: Before I let you go this morning.

130
00:08:57,360 --> 00:08:59,800
Speaker 1: Are the Northern Territory government have just issued a statement

131
00:09:00,160 --> 00:09:03,640
Speaker 1: that they're going to conduct a structural review of ambulance

132
00:09:03,679 --> 00:09:06,920
Speaker 1: services to ensure that they're fit for purpose and provide

133
00:09:06,920 --> 00:09:10,480
Speaker 1: best practice services to meet the needs of territorians. Are

134
00:09:10,520 --> 00:09:12,960
Speaker 1: the reviews going to assess the current model of ambulance

135
00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:16,559
Speaker 1: service in the Northern Territory to find areas of improvement

136
00:09:16,960 --> 00:09:21,000
Speaker 1: and learn from other jurisdictions. An independent reviewer is going

137
00:09:21,040 --> 00:09:24,120
Speaker 1: to be engaged to undertake this review and make recommendations

138
00:09:24,120 --> 00:09:27,640
Speaker 1: such as service delivery, workforce capacity and funding.

139
00:09:27,920 --> 00:09:28,800
Speaker 3: Is this a good move?

140
00:09:31,200 --> 00:09:35,440
Speaker 2: I'm not all over the ambulance sector that's taken on

141
00:09:35,640 --> 00:09:40,480
Speaker 2: by the United Workers' Union, and that's erin early who

142
00:09:40,520 --> 00:09:44,120
Speaker 2: would be all over what's good and what's not so

143
00:09:44,240 --> 00:09:48,480
Speaker 2: good for the ambulance sector. But if this is putting

144
00:09:48,520 --> 00:09:55,559
Speaker 2: more ambulances on the ground and getting fitted out for

145
00:09:55,720 --> 00:09:58,440
Speaker 2: fit for purpose, then that sounds like a great thing.

146
00:09:59,200 --> 00:10:01,440
Speaker 1: Well, cath Hat good to speak with you this morning.

147
00:10:01,480 --> 00:10:03,599
Speaker 1: I always appreciate your time. You will talk to you

148
00:10:03,640 --> 00:10:04,200
Speaker 1: again soon.

149
00:10:05,200 --> 00:10:07,760
Speaker 2: Oh, thank you very much. Thank you, thank you to

150
00:10:07,840 --> 00:10:09,480
Speaker 2: the listeners. Thanks Katie, thank you.