1
00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:03,080
Speaker 1: You're listening to Mix one oh four point nine's three sixty.

2
00:00:03,200 --> 00:00:06,600
Speaker 1: Joining me in the studio is the honorable Shane Stone.

3
00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:09,800
Speaker 1: Now Shane is actually the Coordinator General of the Drought

4
00:00:09,800 --> 00:00:12,080
Speaker 1: in North Queensland Flood Spot. I guess for us here

5
00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:15,520
Speaker 1: in the territory it is probably more about the drought.

6
00:00:15,560 --> 00:00:18,400
Speaker 1: And then we've also got Tracy Hayes who is and

7
00:00:18,480 --> 00:00:21,600
Speaker 1: on the advisory board as well. Good morning to you both.

8
00:00:21,760 --> 00:00:24,040
Speaker 2: Good morning morning Katy. Wonderful to have you both in

9
00:00:24,079 --> 00:00:25,440
Speaker 2: the studio with us this morning.

10
00:00:25,640 --> 00:00:27,880
Speaker 3: Great to be back on Mix one oh four point nineteen.

11
00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:31,240
Speaker 1: Darwin in Darwin and Shane I know well, both of you,

12
00:00:31,320 --> 00:00:35,440
Speaker 1: I believe have really been traveling around and hearing people's

13
00:00:35,560 --> 00:00:38,320
Speaker 1: concerns and the ways that they've been impacted by both

14
00:00:38,520 --> 00:00:40,120
Speaker 1: flood and also drought.

15
00:00:40,800 --> 00:00:44,240
Speaker 4: The drought is still very much alive in the territory.

16
00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:46,720
Speaker 4: People see the rain, of course, and they say, well

17
00:00:46,720 --> 00:00:48,839
Speaker 4: that's great, the rain's over, the grass is green, but

18
00:00:49,360 --> 00:00:52,360
Speaker 4: saw moistures are still way down, particularly in Central Australia.

19
00:00:52,400 --> 00:00:54,600
Speaker 4: But look, can I just before I get into that,

20
00:00:54,960 --> 00:00:57,480
Speaker 4: I want to give you some of my ginger which

21
00:00:57,480 --> 00:01:01,200
Speaker 4: I harvested this morning on my balcony my apartment in Darwin,

22
00:01:01,800 --> 00:01:04,680
Speaker 4: and I grow my own ginger and a whole raft

23
00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:05,039
Speaker 4: of things.

24
00:01:05,160 --> 00:01:07,720
Speaker 2: That's wonder Oh, that is so cool.

25
00:01:07,959 --> 00:01:09,959
Speaker 3: So there's no drought up on my balcony.

26
00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:12,400
Speaker 2: A hose smells lovely as well.

27
00:01:12,800 --> 00:01:14,679
Speaker 3: Absolutely crush this morning.

28
00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:19,160
Speaker 4: So now look, droughts still very serious business and I'm

29
00:01:19,280 --> 00:01:22,600
Speaker 4: really indebted to my advisory board. And of course the

30
00:01:22,680 --> 00:01:26,880
Speaker 4: person who represents across Nashley but also has a particular

31
00:01:26,920 --> 00:01:29,480
Speaker 4: eye on the territory scene is Tracy Hayes, who came

32
00:01:29,480 --> 00:01:32,399
Speaker 4: from Central Australia where the drought is still the toughest.

33
00:01:32,840 --> 00:01:33,040
Speaker 1: Yeah.

34
00:01:33,080 --> 00:01:37,240
Speaker 5: Thanks. Shane obviously had a long history lived experience in

35
00:01:37,640 --> 00:01:41,200
Speaker 5: dealing with drought, so certainly able to relate to those

36
00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:44,480
Speaker 5: people that find themselves impacted by that. And it's not

37
00:01:44,600 --> 00:01:49,400
Speaker 5: just landholders as well. We know it's an insidious situation

38
00:01:49,480 --> 00:01:51,840
Speaker 5: when it occurs and it flows on through to businesses

39
00:01:51,880 --> 00:01:55,400
Speaker 5: and the entire local community. So part of the agency

40
00:01:55,440 --> 00:01:59,440
Speaker 5: works taken us right around the nation, a particular focus

41
00:01:59,480 --> 00:02:01,040
Speaker 5: on parts of Northern Australia.

42
00:02:01,040 --> 00:02:03,040
Speaker 2: Of course it's drought and flood.

43
00:02:02,760 --> 00:02:05,880
Speaker 1: And for those listening that maybe you know, maybe haven't

44
00:02:05,920 --> 00:02:08,440
Speaker 1: been impacted, so those living in the more urban areas

45
00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:10,079
Speaker 1: that haven't been impacted.

46
00:02:09,840 --> 00:02:11,400
Speaker 2: Talk us through sort of the work that.

47
00:02:11,520 --> 00:02:16,120
Speaker 1: Is happening to try and support, you know, those that

48
00:02:16,200 --> 00:02:17,560
Speaker 1: are impacted very heavily.

49
00:02:17,760 --> 00:02:20,000
Speaker 4: Well, I've got a very generous budget of ten billion

50
00:02:20,040 --> 00:02:22,959
Speaker 4: dollars and a very big team of people who work

51
00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:23,280
Speaker 4: with me.

52
00:02:23,800 --> 00:02:25,200
Speaker 3: We are not Canberra centric.

53
00:02:25,720 --> 00:02:29,040
Speaker 4: I've got thirty three regional recovery offices out in the

54
00:02:29,080 --> 00:02:32,120
Speaker 4: field in the territory. I've got Jane Mack who's based

55
00:02:32,120 --> 00:02:36,280
Speaker 4: down in Catherine. Surely we'll have another person. They get

56
00:02:36,280 --> 00:02:39,000
Speaker 4: out there, my eyes and ears and they promote the

57
00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:41,760
Speaker 4: measures that we have at hand to help people impacted

58
00:02:41,760 --> 00:02:44,640
Speaker 4: by drought. So just to get things in perspective, whilst

59
00:02:44,639 --> 00:02:47,040
Speaker 4: it's being pretty tough on the Berkley and down in

60
00:02:47,080 --> 00:02:50,799
Speaker 4: Central Australia, in the Southern Downs area of Queensland, I've

61
00:02:50,800 --> 00:02:53,639
Speaker 4: got people going into the eighth year of drought.

62
00:02:54,080 --> 00:02:57,160
Speaker 3: Now that is just heartbreaking. So what can we do.

63
00:02:57,919 --> 00:03:00,240
Speaker 4: We have a range of measures of which we can support.

64
00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:02,480
Speaker 4: We have the rick loans and there's been a number

65
00:03:02,480 --> 00:03:07,600
Speaker 4: of territory farming operators who've actually qualified for them. The

66
00:03:07,760 --> 00:03:11,080
Speaker 4: first lot were interests free and they were one to

67
00:03:11,160 --> 00:03:15,440
Speaker 4: two million dollars, so these are substantial. We've got farmhousehold allowance,

68
00:03:15,880 --> 00:03:19,040
Speaker 4: we got a range of other measures, and it's a

69
00:03:19,080 --> 00:03:23,200
Speaker 4: matter of people becoming acquainted with what's available and making

70
00:03:23,240 --> 00:03:25,399
Speaker 4: the application. That's the role of people like Jane Mack

71
00:03:25,960 --> 00:03:27,960
Speaker 4: to get out there and explain to people how they

72
00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:28,520
Speaker 4: can access.

73
00:03:28,720 --> 00:03:30,600
Speaker 1: I mean, if there is people listening today, we know

74
00:03:30,639 --> 00:03:33,079
Speaker 1: we've got a very broad and diverse audience. If there

75
00:03:33,080 --> 00:03:35,720
Speaker 1: are people listening today who are wondering whether they are

76
00:03:35,760 --> 00:03:39,560
Speaker 1: able to actually seek some of this assistance, what's the

77
00:03:39,600 --> 00:03:41,440
Speaker 1: best place or what's the best way for them to

78
00:03:41,440 --> 00:03:42,440
Speaker 1: do it, Well, I'd.

79
00:03:42,240 --> 00:03:44,240
Speaker 3: Get on the internet if they've got connectivity.

80
00:03:44,280 --> 00:03:47,080
Speaker 4: I mean, let's just remember there's a lot of people

81
00:03:47,120 --> 00:03:50,560
Speaker 4: in remote rural Australia that don't have internet connection.

82
00:03:50,680 --> 00:03:52,640
Speaker 3: But if they can access.

83
00:03:52,480 --> 00:03:56,440
Speaker 4: The Internet and simply go on the website Drought and Flood,

84
00:03:56,800 --> 00:04:00,160
Speaker 4: it's all laid out there and also contact numbers for

85
00:04:00,240 --> 00:04:03,920
Speaker 4: Jane Mack, so it's easy to find and.

86
00:04:03,920 --> 00:04:06,920
Speaker 3: You can read the measures that are available. They're quite extensive.

87
00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:09,720
Speaker 1: Now I do want to ask you as well, Shane.

88
00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:13,080
Speaker 1: We know that earlier in the week news started to

89
00:04:13,080 --> 00:04:15,720
Speaker 1: flow through that are very well known territory in call

90
00:04:15,800 --> 00:04:19,800
Speaker 1: Fuller had lost his life and I know that he

91
00:04:19,839 --> 00:04:22,000
Speaker 1: was a friend and colleague of yours.

92
00:04:22,360 --> 00:04:23,000
Speaker 3: He was my.

93
00:04:23,080 --> 00:04:26,640
Speaker 4: Last Secretary of Department, of Chief Minister and Cabinet before

94
00:04:26,680 --> 00:04:30,080
Speaker 4: I retired from the Territory Parliament. So he was a

95
00:04:30,080 --> 00:04:32,960
Speaker 4: giant of a man. I put on my Facebook page

96
00:04:33,080 --> 00:04:38,480
Speaker 4: that he was respected, feared and reliable and what more

97
00:04:38,520 --> 00:04:40,640
Speaker 4: could you ask of a great territory and that was

98
00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:43,320
Speaker 4: coll Fuller. He was recognized as a Member of the

99
00:04:43,400 --> 00:04:46,240
Speaker 4: Order of Australia for his outstanding service. He came from

100
00:04:46,240 --> 00:04:48,760
Speaker 4: Papa New Guinea down to the territory. He was part

101
00:04:48,839 --> 00:04:53,360
Speaker 4: of that original Comwealth Public Service Brigade that transitioned into

102
00:04:53,440 --> 00:04:56,520
Speaker 4: this new territory in the time of Paul Everingham, and

103
00:04:57,040 --> 00:05:01,640
Speaker 4: he delivered outstanding service. He was eighty and very sad

104
00:05:01,760 --> 00:05:03,680
Speaker 4: to see him pass.

105
00:05:04,160 --> 00:05:07,040
Speaker 1: Yeah, lots of love to his family and to all

106
00:05:07,080 --> 00:05:09,600
Speaker 1: of his friends. And what a way to be described.

107
00:05:09,640 --> 00:05:12,960
Speaker 1: I reckon there three very very you know, they're definitely

108
00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:14,240
Speaker 1: how you want to be remembered.

109
00:05:14,240 --> 00:05:15,240
Speaker 2: I reckon, yeah.

110
00:05:15,320 --> 00:05:18,440
Speaker 3: No, great epitath for Cole, great men, great territory.

111
00:05:18,640 --> 00:05:18,960
Speaker 4: Yeah.

112
00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:20,880
Speaker 1: I will thank you both so very much for joining

113
00:05:20,960 --> 00:05:22,880
Speaker 1: us in the studio this morning, Tracy Hayes.

114
00:05:22,880 --> 00:05:24,000
Speaker 2: Always good to catch up with you.

115
00:05:24,120 --> 00:05:26,960
Speaker 1: Yeah, thanks Katie and Shane Stone of course the Coordinator

116
00:05:26,960 --> 00:05:31,120
Speaker 1: General of Drought and uh well sorry, Coordinator General Drought

117
00:05:31,160 --> 00:05:34,640
Speaker 1: and North Queensland Floods. And once again though that address.

118
00:05:34,680 --> 00:05:36,720
Speaker 1: If people do need a bit more information, it is

119
00:05:37,040 --> 00:05:40,520
Speaker 1: all the w's dot drought and flood dot gov, dot AU.

120
00:05:40,839 --> 00:05:42,280
Speaker 2: Thank you both so much for your time.

121
00:05:42,400 --> 00:05:43,080
Speaker 3: Great to be back.

122
00:05:43,240 --> 00:05:43,880
Speaker 2: Thank you.