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Speaker 1: Joining me in the studio right now is the opposition

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Speaker 1: spokesperson for Tourism, Mary Claire booth Be Good morning to you.

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Speaker 2: Good morning, Katie, and good morning to everyone tuning in.

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Speaker 1: Thank you so much for coming in this morning, Marie Claire,

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Speaker 1: what is the concern here?

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Speaker 2: So, Katie, we've heard from several sources that there have

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Speaker 2: been job cuts out of the Territory Wildlife Park. As

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Speaker 2: an example, two of the technical stream positions have been scrapped,

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Speaker 2: and we know that three staff members have left in

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Speaker 2: the past two months. We have also heard from credible

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Speaker 2: sources that the Monsoon Forest will be permanently closed. Emis

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Speaker 2: have been removed, and dingos and buffaloes will be removed.

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Speaker 2: And what we have now heard from not only the

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Speaker 2: Chief minutes earlier this morning, but as you mentioned, the

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Speaker 2: Minister for Tourism, is that they cannot rule that out.

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Speaker 2: They have not answered your questions, which is code for whoops,

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Speaker 2: we've been sprung.

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Speaker 3: Do you reckon though?

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Speaker 1: Do you think that maybe the Wildlife Park has had

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Speaker 1: to make some sort of cutbacks due to the COVID situation?

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Speaker 2: Could it just be that, Katie, this is what nine

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Speaker 2: billion dollars worth of debt looks like it means that

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Speaker 2: when we have something that needs our support, this wonderful

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Speaker 2: tourism attraction and something that families love so much here

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Speaker 2: in the territory, and we need to put money into it,

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Speaker 2: it means it can't.

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Speaker 3: It's not there.

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Speaker 2: It's not in the cupboard when we go to find

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Speaker 2: that money.

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Speaker 1: Have you had the opportunity to talk to any of

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Speaker 1: the staff out there. I know that some of them

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Speaker 1: obviously wouldn't be overly keen to, you know, to talk

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Speaker 1: to the opposition about it, because they'd be worried about

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Speaker 1: about their job security.

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Speaker 3: And that kind of thing.

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Speaker 1: But have you had the opportunity to talk to anyone

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Speaker 1: and what have they sort of been saying, Katie.

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Speaker 2: The staff out there, in some cases are being forced

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Speaker 2: to lie about the exhibits that have been closed down.

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Speaker 2: So we are not going to be able to throw

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Speaker 2: any of those people under the bus. These are people

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Speaker 2: who are locals that are working there, that rely on

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Speaker 2: their jobs and it's up to the government to come

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Speaker 2: clean and give them certainty about their roles out there

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Speaker 2: and ensure that to territorians that these are is it

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Speaker 2: an attraction that's not going to be closed and it's

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Speaker 2: not going to be moved into Darwin.

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Speaker 3: So, Mary Claire, why think they're lying?

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Speaker 1: Why do you think they're being forced to lie about

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Speaker 1: their jobs or could it be a situation where they're

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Speaker 1: actually telling the truth.

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Speaker 2: Well, that's what we want the government to come clean

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Speaker 2: on is why are these people who are working so

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Speaker 2: hard for the Territory Wildlife Park and the Territorians being

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Speaker 2: forced to not be able to say anything. I mean,

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Speaker 2: the government shouldn't put anybody in that position.

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Speaker 1: So what's your big concern here? Are you really worried

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Speaker 1: that they're sort of making plans they're cutting things back

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Speaker 1: because you are concerned that they're really going.

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Speaker 3: To close the Wildlife Park.

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Speaker 1: I mean it seems like it would be an absurd

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Speaker 1: thing to do.

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Speaker 3: It's a real territory icon.

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Speaker 2: Yes, Katie, and so was Windows on the Wetlands and

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Speaker 2: that closed down too because this government was unable to

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Speaker 2: run a park of its nature. So what sort of

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Speaker 2: confidence have we got in the government to be able

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Speaker 2: to continue to run the Territory Wildlife Park.

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Speaker 1: Well, Paul from Humpty Doo just called through as well

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Speaker 1: and said Window on the Wetland, I mean, are you

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Speaker 1: doing anything in that space to try to make sure

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Speaker 1: that the government makes some moves window on the wetland

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Speaker 1: to ensure that it does get to being back to

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Speaker 1: operational again.

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Speaker 2: We asked about windows in the wetlands in Parliament, Katie,

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Speaker 2: and that was some months ago, and so far we

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Speaker 2: have had absolute crickets.

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Speaker 1: Now I just want to ask, I mean, is this

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Speaker 1: do you really think that this is a situation with

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Speaker 1: the Wildlife Park where they are planning to shut it

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Speaker 1: down the government or is this just a matter of

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Speaker 1: political game playing before a by election?

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Speaker 2: And that's all we want the government to come clean on.

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Speaker 2: You know, it is such an important icon here in

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Speaker 2: the Northern Territory and we can't have people in the

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Speaker 2: community and staff of the Territory, Wilife Park and other

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Speaker 2: separate sources saying that there's going to be closed and

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Speaker 2: that things are changing there. There's job cuts, there's the

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Speaker 2: Monsoon forest that's going to be closing. Emis have been

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Speaker 2: removed in gooes and buffaloes have been removed. We can't

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Speaker 2: have this kind of uncertainty and we need the government

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Speaker 2: to come out and put back the certainty for territorians.

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Speaker 1: I mean, the Minister for Tourism did say this morning

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Speaker 1: that they've got no plans to close it down.

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Speaker 3: I mean, is that enough.

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Speaker 2: No, she bobbed it off to the Minister for Parks.

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Speaker 2: So no, that's not enough. We need the Chief Minister

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Speaker 2: and the Minister for Tourism and the Minister for Parks

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Speaker 2: to come out and clearly say what are the plans

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Speaker 2: for the future. The future at the moment is uncertain

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Speaker 2: and we need them to be absolutely clear because what

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Speaker 2: we've seen in the past is they say one thing

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Speaker 2: and they do something else.

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Speaker 1: Well, Murray claar Boothby, there is no doubt that it

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Speaker 1: is a location that a lot of Territorians really love.

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Speaker 1: I know that the school students go out there for

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Speaker 1: school camp and that kind of thing. So it is

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Speaker 1: something that we will certainly keep an eye on and

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Speaker 1: continue to ask about. We'll see if we're able to

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Speaker 1: get the Minister for Parks on the show and find

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Speaker 1: out a bit more.

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Speaker 3: Thank you very much for your time this morning.

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Speaker 2: Thanks Katie.

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Speaker 1: That's Murray claar Boothby there, who is indeed the Shadow

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Speaker 1: Minister for Tourism.