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Speaker 1: Katie Wolf Hazard covered on three point sixty. Everyone is listening.

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Speaker 2: Next one O four point nine.

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Speaker 1: Joining us live on the line for the first time

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Speaker 1: this year, the Australian Medical Association President, Doctor Robert Parker.

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Speaker 2: Good morning morning, Katie.

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Speaker 1: Dr Parker, thanks for your time this morning. We did

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Speaker 1: catch up with the Chief Minister Michael Gunner a little

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Speaker 1: earlier this morning and heard a bit more about the

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Speaker 1: fact that our border checkpoints on our roads are no

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Speaker 1: longer going to have police on them.

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Speaker 2: Is this a concern, Well, again, I suppose the government

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Speaker 2: it depends how many people are coming through with a

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Speaker 2: significant reduction in COVID generally, you know, with the occasional outbreak,

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Speaker 2: and I suppose they managed the number of travels coming

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Speaker 2: through those the government's got to save some money. We

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Speaker 2: can't get them up forever, and particularly with the more

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Speaker 2: remote places. It's probably not a bad idea. Although the

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Speaker 2: AMA and am cent are always very concerned I suppose

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Speaker 2: about the risk to Indigenous communities from COVID, and I

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Speaker 2: presume the government will be acting on advice about potential wisdom.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, and that was what he sort of said that

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Speaker 1: even though the police would be off, the board has said,

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Speaker 1: still be sort of the checkpoints. I believe they use

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Speaker 1: some kind of of technology for the fear number plates

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Speaker 1: and then it needs to match up, I believe with

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Speaker 1: your paperwork. I guess though. The worry always is if

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Speaker 1: somebody comes in from one of those hot spots and

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Speaker 1: indeed has COVID, well, of.

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Speaker 2: Course, you know we'd be very ancent and the amay

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Speaker 2: be very strong on the potential risk Indigenous communities generally

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Speaker 2: if COVID does come into the territory, well, it's always

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Speaker 2: a risk. You can have the maximum level of protection,

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Speaker 2: but it costs and I think the government probably is

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Speaker 2: making a sensible decision based on perceived risk and potential

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Speaker 2: cost of effects. But yeah, and it's always a balance.

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Speaker 1: And doctor Parker, we know over the weekend or certainly

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Speaker 1: on Friday after the National Cabinet met, there were calls

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Speaker 1: or there's certainly discussion between the federal government and then

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Speaker 1: all than territory government about the number of repatriated ausies

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Speaker 1: that we've got at Howard Springs. Well Doubling, the Chief Minister,

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Speaker 1: said on the show this morning it wouldn't happen until

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Speaker 1: after the cyclone season. I mean we've managed things really

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Speaker 1: very well thus far out at Howard Springs. Is it

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Speaker 1: going to be a good thing? Do you think for

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Speaker 1: us to increase those numbers?

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Speaker 2: Well, again, I think the tends into you setting a

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Speaker 2: gold standard. And obviously doctor Stevens and the team out

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Speaker 2: there doing a great job in both keeping people safe

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Speaker 2: and also preticting the community. And then again, if I

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Speaker 2: was doing quarantine, I much prefer to do it at

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Speaker 2: how It Springs, you know, in the open air with

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Speaker 2: a veranda, other than being stuck in some quarantina drill

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Speaker 2: down south. And obviously there are you know that we

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Speaker 2: constantly get media feeds about the number of distress ologies

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Speaker 2: who are stuck overseas, and so I think it's a

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Speaker 2: good solution. I mean, if Howard Springs can accommodate the

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Speaker 2: numbers and it's in at the very high standards that

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Speaker 2: they're currently the ozmap team are doing well well and good.

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Speaker 1: And doctor Parker, there's been plenty of talk nationally and

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Speaker 1: indeed internationally about the vaccine roll out. How are you

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Speaker 1: feeling about it all?

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Speaker 2: Well, again, I think Chris Morley was on that there's

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Speaker 2: been a lot of discussion with the within the a

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Speaker 2: m A about the vaccine. Obviously we're very there's been

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Speaker 2: you know, there's some very wise heads advising the government

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Speaker 2: currentlyyond the types of vaccines, who gets what the levels

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Speaker 2: the various levels that people who have got priority for

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Speaker 2: the vaccine get both. The main concern for the A

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Speaker 2: m A has been informed consent and the and the

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Speaker 2: potential risk for an indemnity for the GPS rolling it out.

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Speaker 2: I'm not sure if the governments sorted that out yet.

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Speaker 2: I remember the good old days and I loaned up

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Speaker 2: for Saban and sulk, you know, when I was sorting

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Speaker 2: at polio and there's no problem about it. Can form

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Speaker 2: consent in just in the line and took the spoon.

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Speaker 2: These days, you know, there's a lot more legal issues

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Speaker 2: around it and the government. I suppose the most sensible

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Speaker 2: thing would be to have a form that you do online,

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Speaker 2: you know, with a range of languages, so it's properly

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Speaker 2: informed about the process, and then you just quote a

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Speaker 2: number when you go to get the injection you actually

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Speaker 2: have that you don't form consent. But I think there

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Speaker 2: is a concern that while government agencies are well protected

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Speaker 2: through indemnity, they're still still talk about how the GPS

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Speaker 2: are particular through indemnity, and that discussion needs to continue.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, and has there been much discussion sort of on

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Speaker 1: a territory level between the government and the AMA about

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Speaker 1: how exactly it's going to roll out At this point.

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Speaker 2: No one from the government has contacted us. From the

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Speaker 2: nt government. I mean, there's been regular high level discussion

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Speaker 2: I think between the AMA federally and the Chief help

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Speaker 2: Officer and the various people involved in the vaccine rollout,

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Speaker 2: but we haven't had any local discussions with the territory

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Speaker 2: government as yet.

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Speaker 1: But I'm sure, well, I'm guessing that will happen sort

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Speaker 1: of closer to the vaccine rollout, do you think.

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Speaker 2: Well, again, it's I think it's again nationally, it's for

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Speaker 2: the federal government to the set priorities. Yeah, the territory

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Speaker 2: developed them locally. I mean, the key issue is the

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Speaker 2: number of GP practic who get involved in giving the

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Speaker 2: vaccine away, apart from the government agent he's doing it.

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Speaker 2: And really AMA really hasn't got a role in that.

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Speaker 2: It's really up for the GP practices nominate and be

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Speaker 2: accepted for that. Really, all the AMA can do is

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Speaker 2: remind the charity government about what the federal priorities are,

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Speaker 2: but we really haven't got a role in negotiating between

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Speaker 2: GP practices and the territory government.

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Speaker 1: Well, Robert Parker, Doctor Robert Parker, the head of the

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Speaker 1: AMA here in the Northern Territory, really appreciate your time

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Speaker 1: this morning. I understand you're not very well, but you

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Speaker 1: are COVID free.

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Speaker 2: I am COVID negative yep, yep yet and recovering well.

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Speaker 1: We really appreciate your time this morning, Dr Parker, thanks

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Speaker 1: for having a chat with us.

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Speaker 2: Hey, good to talk to you, Katy.

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Speaker 1: Thank you