1
00:00:00,520 --> 00:00:02,360
Speaker 1: If you want to know what's happening on the local

2
00:00:02,360 --> 00:00:05,520
Speaker 1: political landscape, Katie Wolf has it covered on three sixty.

3
00:00:05,960 --> 00:00:09,720
Speaker 1: Every one is listening Mix one oh four point nine

4
00:00:10,560 --> 00:00:12,399
Speaker 1: and we are coming to you live this morning from

5
00:00:12,440 --> 00:00:15,440
Speaker 1: the Darwin Waterfront and it is all part of the

6
00:00:15,560 --> 00:00:19,280
Speaker 1: Merlin Darwin Triple Crown Racing fans, you've got your opportunity

7
00:00:19,360 --> 00:00:21,880
Speaker 1: to get up and close with your favorite drivers and

8
00:00:21,960 --> 00:00:24,960
Speaker 1: riders before heading out to Hidden Valley for a weekend

9
00:00:25,079 --> 00:00:28,159
Speaker 1: of non stop action. There's no doubt about that. But

10
00:00:28,200 --> 00:00:31,000
Speaker 1: you're able this morning to bring the whole family down.

11
00:00:31,080 --> 00:00:34,600
Speaker 1: You can meet the drivers, get autographs and selfies. Plus

12
00:00:34,720 --> 00:00:38,159
Speaker 1: I am going to have a couple of giveaways and

13
00:00:38,200 --> 00:00:42,360
Speaker 1: I might actually mention one of those right now. Well

14
00:00:42,520 --> 00:00:46,479
Speaker 1: for the first people to get down here, if you

15
00:00:46,520 --> 00:00:48,760
Speaker 1: may be in your car right now, and if you

16
00:00:48,880 --> 00:00:51,519
Speaker 1: drive down, come down to me and say get a

17
00:00:51,840 --> 00:00:56,320
Speaker 1: I have got a double pass, a three day hot

18
00:00:56,360 --> 00:00:59,520
Speaker 1: pass for two people if you come down and see

19
00:00:59,520 --> 00:01:01,800
Speaker 1: me now and say hello. But you're gonna have to

20
00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:04,040
Speaker 1: pop down now. We are here at the at the

21
00:01:04,080 --> 00:01:08,720
Speaker 1: Darwin Waterfront. Now joining me back on the line is

22
00:01:08,760 --> 00:01:11,640
Speaker 1: the member for Solomon Luke Gosling, Good morning to you, Luke.

23
00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:14,200
Speaker 2: Good morning Catie. How are you?

24
00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:17,720
Speaker 1: Yeah, very well now, Luke, you and I have spoken

25
00:01:17,760 --> 00:01:20,520
Speaker 1: on numerous occasions about the worker shortage that we've got

26
00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:23,720
Speaker 1: in the Northern Territory at the moment it has you know,

27
00:01:23,800 --> 00:01:26,320
Speaker 1: it's been acute for quite some time. I just caught

28
00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:29,880
Speaker 1: up a little while ago with NT Farmers CEO Paul

29
00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:33,679
Speaker 1: Burke and spoke further about it. We know yesterday there

30
00:01:33,840 --> 00:01:36,760
Speaker 1: was some movement when it comes to the new agricultural

31
00:01:36,959 --> 00:01:39,880
Speaker 1: visa and that seems like a good thing, but it's

32
00:01:39,920 --> 00:01:42,720
Speaker 1: not going to be soon enough for this year for

33
00:01:42,760 --> 00:01:44,880
Speaker 1: our mango pickers.

34
00:01:46,280 --> 00:01:50,280
Speaker 2: Yeah, unfortunately not Katie. And like all these things, you know,

35
00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:53,640
Speaker 2: you welcome them because the farmers have been struggling for

36
00:01:53,640 --> 00:01:57,200
Speaker 2: the workforce for so long. They can't find Ozzie to

37
00:01:57,240 --> 00:02:00,560
Speaker 2: do the work, and you know, the fruits rotting on

38
00:02:00,600 --> 00:02:05,280
Speaker 2: the ground and rapidly the mango season, the melon seasons

39
00:02:05,320 --> 00:02:10,120
Speaker 2: are approaching. So I think there's a bit of cynicism

40
00:02:10,160 --> 00:02:13,680
Speaker 2: about the announcement from some farmers that we're all wanted

41
00:02:13,760 --> 00:02:17,519
Speaker 2: to become a reality, but the government's not saying much

42
00:02:17,560 --> 00:02:21,760
Speaker 2: about it. The Nationals are really leading the push, but

43
00:02:21,800 --> 00:02:24,680
Speaker 2: the government aren't saying much about it, so we're just

44
00:02:24,680 --> 00:02:27,400
Speaker 2: trying to get some more detail. It could be great

45
00:02:27,480 --> 00:02:32,080
Speaker 2: if those tie workers and Filipino workers that want to

46
00:02:32,120 --> 00:02:35,320
Speaker 2: come in and pick our fruit could do that so

47
00:02:35,480 --> 00:02:38,840
Speaker 2: this season. But there's a couple of things. One is

48
00:02:38,880 --> 00:02:41,360
Speaker 2: that it doesn't look like it's going to happen fast enough.

49
00:02:42,120 --> 00:02:45,440
Speaker 2: And two there needs to be enough quarantine capacity so

50
00:02:45,480 --> 00:02:48,320
Speaker 2: that we could make sure that any workers are coming

51
00:02:48,320 --> 00:02:50,480
Speaker 2: to the territory do so in a safe way.

52
00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:53,919
Speaker 1: And that's the big issue we've got at the moment,

53
00:02:54,120 --> 00:02:56,639
Speaker 1: isn't it. It's that we don't actually have anywhere for

54
00:02:57,000 --> 00:03:00,560
Speaker 1: these workers to quarantine.

55
00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:04,960
Speaker 2: That's right, Katie. Depending on the amount of stranded Australians

56
00:03:04,960 --> 00:03:08,799
Speaker 2: that are coming home through Howard Springs, there may be

57
00:03:08,880 --> 00:03:12,440
Speaker 2: some capacity of Howard Springs to take a limited number

58
00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:17,200
Speaker 2: of the seasonal workers in for this season, but we're

59
00:03:17,200 --> 00:03:22,520
Speaker 2: obviously being the anti horticulture industry is about two thousand

60
00:03:22,600 --> 00:03:25,880
Speaker 2: workers short, so like the US Marines, there would be

61
00:03:25,919 --> 00:03:28,840
Speaker 2: an ability to bring more people in through the Bladon

62
00:03:28,960 --> 00:03:33,160
Speaker 2: Village facility and I've been working down here with the

63
00:03:33,160 --> 00:03:36,160
Speaker 2: COLP Senator Sam McMahon on that to try and get

64
00:03:36,200 --> 00:03:40,040
Speaker 2: some more federal support for that, but at this stage

65
00:03:40,080 --> 00:03:43,480
Speaker 2: there's no news on more quarantine capacity for the seasonal

66
00:03:43,520 --> 00:03:48,040
Speaker 2: workers and the mango seasons rapidly approaching. So we'll continue

67
00:03:48,080 --> 00:03:50,880
Speaker 2: to work down here, Katie to try and get some

68
00:03:50,920 --> 00:03:53,360
Speaker 2: more answers out of the government so that it's not

69
00:03:53,480 --> 00:03:56,560
Speaker 2: just another announcement that doesn't go anywhere.

70
00:03:57,760 --> 00:04:02,119
Speaker 1: Look just on Bladon Village, where exactly are we at?

71
00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:04,760
Speaker 1: Are we waiting on the territory government? Are we waiting

72
00:04:04,800 --> 00:04:07,400
Speaker 1: on the federal government? You know, why is this not

73
00:04:07,560 --> 00:04:10,280
Speaker 1: moving forward? I know that there has been a situation

74
00:04:10,360 --> 00:04:12,560
Speaker 1: at different times out there at Bladon Village where it

75
00:04:12,600 --> 00:04:16,320
Speaker 1: is already being utilized by other groups. But where are

76
00:04:16,320 --> 00:04:17,240
Speaker 1: we at right now?

77
00:04:19,600 --> 00:04:22,039
Speaker 2: We're waiting on the federal government to respond to a

78
00:04:22,080 --> 00:04:27,000
Speaker 2: proposal that's been put to them by the owners of

79
00:04:27,560 --> 00:04:33,480
Speaker 2: Bladen with a medical services company because obviously the last

80
00:04:33,520 --> 00:04:36,880
Speaker 2: thing we want to do is put any extra pressure

81
00:04:37,360 --> 00:04:41,000
Speaker 2: on the nt health system, so they would need to

82
00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:44,360
Speaker 2: set up that hospital out there so that we could

83
00:04:44,360 --> 00:04:49,400
Speaker 2: have these returning Australians or international students or agriculture workers

84
00:04:49,400 --> 00:04:52,560
Speaker 2: come through Bladen. So the federal government, it's in the

85
00:04:53,960 --> 00:04:57,200
Speaker 2: balls in their court and we're hoping for some answers

86
00:04:57,240 --> 00:04:59,800
Speaker 2: soon on what they can help us to do there.

87
00:05:01,400 --> 00:05:05,200
Speaker 1: Now, if they do give the go ahead, how quick

88
00:05:05,279 --> 00:05:07,200
Speaker 1: would it be able to be set up in terms

89
00:05:07,240 --> 00:05:11,040
Speaker 1: of the medical side of things, as you just said,

90
00:05:11,560 --> 00:05:13,360
Speaker 1: and being able to set things up so that it's

91
00:05:13,400 --> 00:05:16,360
Speaker 1: able to all operate smoothly for those workers.

92
00:05:18,080 --> 00:05:20,919
Speaker 2: Well, what I'm hearing from the owners of Blayden is

93
00:05:20,960 --> 00:05:24,360
Speaker 2: that their discussions with the medical services company are quite

94
00:05:24,400 --> 00:05:29,720
Speaker 2: advanced and they could move quite quickly to set that up.

95
00:05:29,760 --> 00:05:34,400
Speaker 2: We're talking a number of weeks a month at the outside,

96
00:05:34,760 --> 00:05:38,120
Speaker 2: so it can be done by this mango season. And

97
00:05:38,160 --> 00:05:40,919
Speaker 2: the last thing we want to see, obviously is territory

98
00:05:40,960 --> 00:05:45,120
Speaker 2: businesses be hampered by a lack of workforce. And we

99
00:05:45,200 --> 00:05:48,240
Speaker 2: know now with this deal that the Prime Minister's made

100
00:05:48,240 --> 00:05:53,440
Speaker 2: with the British Prime Minister that those backpackers won't have

101
00:05:53,480 --> 00:05:56,040
Speaker 2: to work on farms to get an extension to their

102
00:05:56,279 --> 00:05:59,680
Speaker 2: visa so they can stay longer in Australia. So obviously

103
00:05:59,680 --> 00:06:02,960
Speaker 2: we hope that they still come and poul bees in

104
00:06:03,040 --> 00:06:05,520
Speaker 2: our pubs and have a great time in the Northern Territory,

105
00:06:05,960 --> 00:06:08,280
Speaker 2: but we can no longer count on them to help

106
00:06:08,440 --> 00:06:12,239
Speaker 2: our farmers. So we really need this new ag visa

107
00:06:12,279 --> 00:06:14,360
Speaker 2: to roll out as quickly as possible.

108
00:06:15,480 --> 00:06:18,760
Speaker 1: In reality, have we had many of those, you know,

109
00:06:18,839 --> 00:06:22,320
Speaker 1: many of those British backpackers working on the farms.

110
00:06:24,320 --> 00:06:27,800
Speaker 2: We have Cartie a bit less and less to be honest,

111
00:06:27,839 --> 00:06:32,719
Speaker 2: and it's you know, it's tough work, but it's worked

112
00:06:32,720 --> 00:06:37,800
Speaker 2: that people living in our region more than ready and

113
00:06:37,839 --> 00:06:40,880
Speaker 2: willing to do. And just last night I caught up

114
00:06:40,920 --> 00:06:44,839
Speaker 2: with the Philippines ambassador and she's really welcomed this news.

115
00:06:45,320 --> 00:06:48,839
Speaker 2: We had the Thaie ambassador in Darwin for that great

116
00:06:48,880 --> 00:06:52,719
Speaker 2: festival at the waterfront recently. She was lobbing me about

117
00:06:52,760 --> 00:06:55,800
Speaker 2: that as well. And you know they're just two examples.

118
00:06:55,880 --> 00:06:59,440
Speaker 2: Team or less. They you know, they already do seasonal

119
00:06:59,440 --> 00:07:02,800
Speaker 2: work that they could certainly be added to the Asian countries.

120
00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:04,800
Speaker 2: There's no shortage of workers that want to come and

121
00:07:04,839 --> 00:07:08,279
Speaker 2: do the work. We just need some more detail and

122
00:07:08,279 --> 00:07:10,280
Speaker 2: we needed to happen more quickly.

123
00:07:11,800 --> 00:07:14,520
Speaker 1: Just on that. I know when I did with bladon point.

124
00:07:14,560 --> 00:07:16,120
Speaker 1: I know when I did catch up with the Chief

125
00:07:16,200 --> 00:07:18,480
Speaker 1: Minister Michael Gunner a couple of weeks ago, I actually

126
00:07:18,560 --> 00:07:20,120
Speaker 1: put it to him and said you know what is

127
00:07:20,160 --> 00:07:23,120
Speaker 1: holding things up, And he did also say that obviously

128
00:07:23,160 --> 00:07:26,280
Speaker 1: we are waiting on the Chief Health Officer here in

129
00:07:26,280 --> 00:07:29,120
Speaker 1: the Northern Territory to look at that proposal. So I'm

130
00:07:29,160 --> 00:07:30,840
Speaker 1: just sort of trying to wrap my head around is

131
00:07:30,840 --> 00:07:33,280
Speaker 1: it the federal government that we're waiting on or are

132
00:07:33,320 --> 00:07:36,560
Speaker 1: we waiting on the Northern Territory government to approve anything

133
00:07:36,560 --> 00:07:39,640
Speaker 1: that moves forward out at Bladon Point.

134
00:07:41,840 --> 00:07:47,520
Speaker 2: There'd be discussions that the National Health Officer would be

135
00:07:47,520 --> 00:07:50,520
Speaker 2: having with the Chief Health Officer and the NT government.

136
00:07:50,560 --> 00:07:53,680
Speaker 2: As I said, obviously, the ANTI government needs to be

137
00:07:54,840 --> 00:07:59,360
Speaker 2: convinced that it's not going to burden our system. The

138
00:07:59,440 --> 00:08:02,360
Speaker 2: last thing, as I said, that we would want is

139
00:08:02,440 --> 00:08:06,720
Speaker 2: to be quarantining more people here without the ability to

140
00:08:06,840 --> 00:08:10,920
Speaker 2: deal with it. But the reality is that that would

141
00:08:10,960 --> 00:08:13,960
Speaker 2: require some extra assistance from the federal government. So I

142
00:08:13,960 --> 00:08:19,240
Speaker 2: think there's two processes here. One is making the assessment

143
00:08:19,280 --> 00:08:21,480
Speaker 2: of the proposal has been put to the federal government

144
00:08:21,800 --> 00:08:25,720
Speaker 2: for their financial assistance to make it happen, so that

145
00:08:25,760 --> 00:08:29,640
Speaker 2: there's proper health facilities out there that can deal with

146
00:08:29,720 --> 00:08:35,080
Speaker 2: anything out there independent of the health system. And obviously

147
00:08:35,160 --> 00:08:39,000
Speaker 2: the NT government needs to be assured of that as well.

148
00:08:39,080 --> 00:08:43,840
Speaker 2: So that process is underway and we hope that those

149
00:08:43,840 --> 00:08:46,480
Speaker 2: discussions can continue as quickly as possible.

150
00:08:47,400 --> 00:08:50,400
Speaker 1: Well, look, we will have a chat with Senator Sam

151
00:08:50,480 --> 00:08:52,400
Speaker 1: McMahon as well, because I know that it is something

152
00:08:52,440 --> 00:08:55,400
Speaker 1: that she's certainly spoken to us on numerous occasions about,

153
00:08:55,760 --> 00:08:57,800
Speaker 1: and from my perspective, you know, it seems as though

154
00:08:57,840 --> 00:09:01,240
Speaker 1: she's very keen to make sure that this happens. So, Luke,

155
00:09:01,360 --> 00:09:03,720
Speaker 1: let's hope that at some point we are able to

156
00:09:03,760 --> 00:09:07,200
Speaker 1: come to an agreement and able to have those workers

157
00:09:07,320 --> 00:09:09,840
Speaker 1: quarantine at Bladon Points so that we're able to help

158
00:09:09,880 --> 00:09:13,120
Speaker 1: our Northern Territory farmers. Luke Gosling, we are going to

159
00:09:13,200 --> 00:09:15,160
Speaker 1: have to leave it there. It's always good to have

160
00:09:15,200 --> 00:09:16,760
Speaker 1: you on the show. Thanks so much for your time

161
00:09:16,800 --> 00:09:17,280
Speaker 1: this morning.

162
00:09:18,240 --> 00:09:20,080
Speaker 2: No, I can't wait to get out of the supercars

163
00:09:20,120 --> 00:09:23,119
Speaker 2: on the weekend. Catie, Yeah, it should.

164
00:09:22,840 --> 00:09:25,240
Speaker 1: Be a good one, no doubt about that. Thanks very

165
00:09:25,320 --> 00:09:29,320
Speaker 1: much for your time, Luke Gosling. There the member, thank you,

166
00:09:29,440 --> 00:09:30,480
Speaker 1: the member for Solomon