1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,080 Speaker 1: We don't usually speak to the Chief Minister on a Thursday, 2 00:00:03,120 --> 00:00:05,160 Speaker 1: but we were keen to speak to about the Lord 3 00:00:05,200 --> 00:00:08,200 Speaker 1: Mayor convat Scalas yesterday revealing on the show that he'd 4 00:00:08,240 --> 00:00:11,240 Speaker 1: met with the Northern Territories leader about the issues of 5 00:00:11,280 --> 00:00:15,480 Speaker 1: antisocial behavior. Chief Minister Natasha Fhiles joins me on the 6 00:00:15,520 --> 00:00:16,919 Speaker 1: line now for a quick update. 7 00:00:16,960 --> 00:00:18,320 Speaker 2: Good morning to your Chief Minister. 8 00:00:19,360 --> 00:00:20,880 Speaker 3: Good morning Katie, Good morning listeners. 9 00:00:20,960 --> 00:00:21,760 Speaker 2: Now, Chief Minister. 10 00:00:21,840 --> 00:00:24,599 Speaker 1: The Lord Mayor said yesterday that he'd met with you 11 00:00:24,680 --> 00:00:27,400 Speaker 1: about the issues of antisocial behavior and the CBD. 12 00:00:27,920 --> 00:00:29,280 Speaker 2: He said that you've got. 13 00:00:29,080 --> 00:00:32,640 Speaker 1: Plans to get low risk prisoners out into the community 14 00:00:32,960 --> 00:00:34,120 Speaker 1: to clean up our city. 15 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:35,600 Speaker 2: Where are these plans at? 16 00:00:36,880 --> 00:00:38,519 Speaker 3: So, Katie, I met with the Lord Mayor, as I 17 00:00:38,560 --> 00:00:40,960 Speaker 3: do meet with all of the mayors across the territory, 18 00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:43,440 Speaker 3: and we discussed a range of measures and ideas. We 19 00:00:43,520 --> 00:00:47,360 Speaker 3: currently have prisoner work parties that provide services into our community. 20 00:00:47,440 --> 00:00:49,720 Speaker 3: So these are low risk prisoners. There are a safety 21 00:00:49,760 --> 00:00:51,879 Speaker 3: process around it, but they go in and they do 22 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:54,680 Speaker 3: things such as mowing lawns. But they also do provide 23 00:00:54,720 --> 00:00:57,800 Speaker 3: cleanup after major events. So the Mayor and I discussed 24 00:00:57,840 --> 00:01:01,920 Speaker 3: the possibility of utilizing them to help the council deal 25 00:01:01,960 --> 00:01:03,680 Speaker 3: with some of the issues that we do find arout 26 00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:06,600 Speaker 3: and rubbish. So I'm certainly going to progress this with 27 00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:10,000 Speaker 3: the Department of Corrections so that we can ensure that 28 00:01:10,120 --> 00:01:12,199 Speaker 3: we have people giving back to the community but also 29 00:01:12,240 --> 00:01:13,640 Speaker 3: providing that important service. 30 00:01:14,080 --> 00:01:16,240 Speaker 1: How far off are you do you think from this 31 00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:18,759 Speaker 1: actually coming to fruition and happening. 32 00:01:20,080 --> 00:01:22,800 Speaker 3: So, Katie, it was discussed with the mayor this week 33 00:01:22,800 --> 00:01:25,560 Speaker 3: and I love the man's enthusiasm to let you know. 34 00:01:25,720 --> 00:01:27,840 Speaker 3: But we'll just work through it. But I think it's 35 00:01:27,840 --> 00:01:31,120 Speaker 3: something that practical that can be rolled out rather efficiently 36 00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:33,760 Speaker 3: because we do have, as I said, work parties in place. 37 00:01:33,800 --> 00:01:36,240 Speaker 3: They do go in and clean up after major events. 38 00:01:36,440 --> 00:01:39,000 Speaker 3: So we just need to work through the processes around 39 00:01:39,040 --> 00:01:40,960 Speaker 3: it and how it would work. But I would like 40 00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:42,880 Speaker 3: to see it done efficiently. 41 00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:45,600 Speaker 2: So a few weeks away hopefully might. 42 00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:46,959 Speaker 3: Be a little bit longer than that, Katie, but I'll 43 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:49,840 Speaker 3: certainly keep your listeners updated. And this is just one measure. 44 00:01:49,880 --> 00:01:51,640 Speaker 3: And as I keep saying, it's not one thing that 45 00:01:51,680 --> 00:01:54,240 Speaker 3: will solve these issues. It's lots of ideas and putting 46 00:01:54,240 --> 00:01:54,800 Speaker 3: them into action. 47 00:01:55,040 --> 00:01:57,160 Speaker 1: Now I know some listening will be thinking how are 48 00:01:57,160 --> 00:01:59,559 Speaker 1: you going to do this when there are serious issues 49 00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:01,120 Speaker 1: in the prison and at the moment in terms of 50 00:02:01,200 --> 00:02:04,360 Speaker 1: staffing levels and high numbers of prisoners. 51 00:02:05,400 --> 00:02:07,520 Speaker 3: So Katie, these are people that are assessed, they go 52 00:02:07,560 --> 00:02:11,520 Speaker 3: through a process. They are are low and open rated prisoners. 53 00:02:11,560 --> 00:02:14,240 Speaker 3: Everyone in the facility gets the rating and so we 54 00:02:14,320 --> 00:02:17,440 Speaker 3: have these work parties already established. There is a cost 55 00:02:17,520 --> 00:02:20,400 Speaker 3: around them, but I think it is important because it 56 00:02:20,440 --> 00:02:23,320 Speaker 3: allows them to engage and you know, potentially give back 57 00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:26,320 Speaker 3: to the community. So it's something that can be worked through. 58 00:02:26,639 --> 00:02:29,520 Speaker 1: All right. We also had a lengthy discussion at you 59 00:02:29,560 --> 00:02:32,000 Speaker 1: and I did obviously on Monday about the situation with 60 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:33,840 Speaker 1: the police survey. So I'm not going to cover off 61 00:02:33,880 --> 00:02:36,919 Speaker 1: on old ground. But the Lord Mayor did say yesterday, 62 00:02:36,919 --> 00:02:39,960 Speaker 1: well he reckons that police graduates are no longer going 63 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:42,400 Speaker 1: to have to hit out Bush. He's been told that 64 00:02:42,720 --> 00:02:45,560 Speaker 1: there will be graduates deployed for Darwin so that we 65 00:02:45,639 --> 00:02:48,600 Speaker 1: have more police on the beat, which is something that 66 00:02:48,720 --> 00:02:50,680 Speaker 1: a lot in the community are calling for. 67 00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:51,760 Speaker 2: Is that the case? 68 00:02:53,080 --> 00:02:55,120 Speaker 3: So, Katie, as we did discuss in great detail, and 69 00:02:55,160 --> 00:02:57,560 Speaker 3: I won't go back over old ground. Our police force 70 00:02:57,840 --> 00:03:00,840 Speaker 3: work incredibly hard. We do have a number of members 71 00:03:00,880 --> 00:03:04,560 Speaker 3: that are entitled leave after working during COVID, but police 72 00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:08,240 Speaker 3: decides where the graduates go, and we do have vast 73 00:03:08,280 --> 00:03:11,000 Speaker 3: regions in the territory to cover that. Absolutely. We know 74 00:03:11,120 --> 00:03:14,400 Speaker 3: that police will place them operationally where they're needed. So 75 00:03:14,480 --> 00:03:17,080 Speaker 3: that would be a question for the Police commissioner. 76 00:03:16,720 --> 00:03:20,360 Speaker 1: From your perspective, though, are they needed in Darwin right now? 77 00:03:21,919 --> 00:03:23,760 Speaker 3: It's a balance, Katie. So we need them in the 78 00:03:23,800 --> 00:03:26,360 Speaker 3: regions we send them there, and then we certainly do 79 00:03:26,440 --> 00:03:29,280 Speaker 3: need them in our urban areas Darwin Alice Springs for example. 80 00:03:29,360 --> 00:03:32,960 Speaker 3: So police work very intensively to ensure that those graduates 81 00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:35,520 Speaker 3: go where they're needed, but also they're provided with the 82 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:38,840 Speaker 3: operational support and making sure that we have a spread 83 00:03:38,840 --> 00:03:41,120 Speaker 3: of different levels of police across the territory. 84 00:03:41,240 --> 00:03:43,200 Speaker 1: I mean, you must think to yourself, though I guess 85 00:03:43,240 --> 00:03:45,160 Speaker 1: like the rest of the community does at the moment, 86 00:03:45,240 --> 00:03:47,440 Speaker 1: that it would you know, it would certainly help with 87 00:03:47,480 --> 00:03:49,800 Speaker 1: things if we had a greater police presence around the 88 00:03:49,800 --> 00:03:52,480 Speaker 1: CBD and those visual areas. 89 00:03:53,520 --> 00:03:57,680 Speaker 3: We're certainly raised with police that we want to see them, 90 00:03:57,880 --> 00:04:00,880 Speaker 3: you know, across our community. But they have operrational parameters 91 00:04:00,880 --> 00:04:03,160 Speaker 3: and I've touched upon them earlier in the week. But 92 00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:06,080 Speaker 3: certainly the Commissioner worked through with the graduates and we've 93 00:04:06,080 --> 00:04:10,280 Speaker 3: provided record police graduate numbers and also ensuring that they've 94 00:04:10,320 --> 00:04:12,600 Speaker 3: got that budget to deliver services. 95 00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:15,040 Speaker 1: All Right, we are going to talk further about this 96 00:04:15,440 --> 00:04:18,159 Speaker 1: next week. We know that that annual conference is happening tomorrow, 97 00:04:18,240 --> 00:04:19,880 Speaker 1: so there is no doubt that there's going to need 98 00:04:19,920 --> 00:04:23,160 Speaker 1: to be further discussion in that space. But something that 99 00:04:23,279 --> 00:04:25,520 Speaker 1: is happening as a matter of urgency is the teachers 100 00:04:25,560 --> 00:04:26,040 Speaker 1: going on. 101 00:04:25,960 --> 00:04:27,080 Speaker 2: Strike tomorrow morning. 102 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:29,960 Speaker 1: Has a new offer been put on the table yet 103 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:31,400 Speaker 1: for those teachers? 104 00:04:32,320 --> 00:04:34,880 Speaker 3: So the Minister for Public Employment, Paul Kirby, has been 105 00:04:34,920 --> 00:04:38,840 Speaker 3: working in this space around the EBA and the bargaining 106 00:04:38,839 --> 00:04:41,479 Speaker 3: and the negotiations that are taking place and working with 107 00:04:41,560 --> 00:04:44,040 Speaker 3: the union. They have the right to take that protected 108 00:04:44,080 --> 00:04:46,760 Speaker 3: industrial action. As I said to Ukati earlier in the week, 109 00:04:46,800 --> 00:04:48,880 Speaker 3: I was a little surprised that it escalated to the 110 00:04:48,880 --> 00:04:52,080 Speaker 3: point of a strike so quickly, but will continue to negotiate. 111 00:04:52,120 --> 00:04:54,920 Speaker 3: I'm not sure exactly what's been offered, but there's certainly 112 00:04:55,240 --> 00:04:57,960 Speaker 3: been meetings this week between the Minister for Public Employment 113 00:04:57,960 --> 00:04:59,320 Speaker 3: and the Australian Education Union. 114 00:04:59,480 --> 00:05:02,279 Speaker 1: Yeah, look, we spoke to the Australian Education Union's Northern 115 00:05:02,360 --> 00:05:06,040 Speaker 1: Territory Secretary Adam Lampey earlier in the week and he said, Katie, 116 00:05:06,080 --> 00:05:08,760 Speaker 1: we're at crisis point. You know, we're talking about teachers 117 00:05:08,760 --> 00:05:12,200 Speaker 1: that they didn't get that bonus. We're trying to retain 118 00:05:12,279 --> 00:05:14,839 Speaker 1: them in what is a really competitive market at the 119 00:05:14,880 --> 00:05:17,720 Speaker 1: moment the cost of living is going up. I mean, 120 00:05:17,800 --> 00:05:19,760 Speaker 1: surely the government must be going to come to the 121 00:05:19,800 --> 00:05:22,880 Speaker 1: table here and and come forward with a really fair 122 00:05:23,000 --> 00:05:24,680 Speaker 1: offer for our teachers. 123 00:05:25,600 --> 00:05:28,919 Speaker 3: Katie, what I can say is before these EBA processes, 124 00:05:29,000 --> 00:05:31,800 Speaker 3: Territory teachers were the highest paid. They have slipped down 125 00:05:31,839 --> 00:05:34,520 Speaker 3: because we're in the current negotiation. We value the work 126 00:05:34,520 --> 00:05:37,159 Speaker 3: of our teachers and we will continue to negotiate in 127 00:05:37,240 --> 00:05:40,400 Speaker 3: good faith to ensure they have spoken resources and the 128 00:05:40,440 --> 00:05:41,719 Speaker 3: pay recognition they deserve. 129 00:05:41,920 --> 00:05:44,600 Speaker 1: You mentioned on Monday that you know that you are 130 00:05:44,640 --> 00:05:46,960 Speaker 1: looking to review this pay freeze. 131 00:05:47,600 --> 00:05:49,080 Speaker 2: I mean, I'll ask you again. 132 00:05:49,160 --> 00:05:51,520 Speaker 1: I know I asked you on Monday, but how long 133 00:05:51,520 --> 00:05:53,599 Speaker 1: can you keep this in place given this cost of 134 00:05:53,600 --> 00:05:55,120 Speaker 1: living that continues to go up? 135 00:05:56,560 --> 00:05:59,720 Speaker 3: So, Katie, it's complicated. It's not straightforward to just click 136 00:05:59,760 --> 00:06:02,719 Speaker 3: us and make a decision. We have a huge responsibility 137 00:06:02,760 --> 00:06:05,440 Speaker 3: to balance the Northern Churchard government budget and we've done 138 00:06:05,480 --> 00:06:08,200 Speaker 3: an enormous amount of work. But as I said on Monday, Katie, 139 00:06:08,200 --> 00:06:11,400 Speaker 3: we absolutely acknowledge that there's been some unprecedented even in 140 00:06:11,480 --> 00:06:14,440 Speaker 3: terms of that the RBA, they did not predict interest 141 00:06:14,480 --> 00:06:17,960 Speaker 3: rates to jump so quickly, inflation CPI. So we're working 142 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:20,159 Speaker 3: through all of those factors all right. 143 00:06:20,240 --> 00:06:23,400 Speaker 1: Just finally this morning, this application for additional pogies in 144 00:06:23,480 --> 00:06:26,440 Speaker 1: Alice Springs, it continues to be raised as an issue. 145 00:06:26,600 --> 00:06:30,560 Speaker 1: Hospitality group Iris Capital has applications in for sixty new 146 00:06:30,600 --> 00:06:33,760 Speaker 1: pokies to be installed in four of its newly purchased 147 00:06:33,760 --> 00:06:37,640 Speaker 1: Alice Springs venues, including several where there are currently none. 148 00:06:37,800 --> 00:06:40,560 Speaker 1: Now I understand that a decision is days away. We 149 00:06:40,640 --> 00:06:43,560 Speaker 1: know that Anti Pokey's campaigners have said that the timing 150 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:48,120 Speaker 1: of that application or those applications makes for the perfect storm. 151 00:06:48,440 --> 00:06:52,240 Speaker 1: Now in July, obviously long term alcohol bands introduced during 152 00:06:52,279 --> 00:06:54,919 Speaker 1: the Northern Territory Intervention, well they were lifted in dozens 153 00:06:54,920 --> 00:06:58,400 Speaker 1: of remote communities. We also know, though you know that 154 00:06:59,240 --> 00:07:02,040 Speaker 1: the Basics car card or you know, the Basics card 155 00:07:02,120 --> 00:07:04,360 Speaker 1: is due to have some changes as well. 156 00:07:04,760 --> 00:07:07,120 Speaker 2: I mean should this be going ahead? 157 00:07:08,360 --> 00:07:10,440 Speaker 3: So, Katie, we set a cap back in two thousand 158 00:07:10,480 --> 00:07:13,640 Speaker 3: and eight. It was lifted and went from twelve hundred 159 00:07:13,720 --> 00:07:17,120 Speaker 3: too close to nineteen hundred under the CLP. We have 160 00:07:17,240 --> 00:07:19,920 Speaker 3: reduced that cap three times. But I am concerned about 161 00:07:19,920 --> 00:07:22,640 Speaker 3: this and what the process is that the Director of 162 00:07:22,680 --> 00:07:26,120 Speaker 3: Gaming Machines, he's got the legislative responsibility. There has been 163 00:07:26,160 --> 00:07:29,160 Speaker 3: submissions and they will be taken into consideration as a 164 00:07:29,160 --> 00:07:30,600 Speaker 3: part of the assessment process. 165 00:07:31,040 --> 00:07:33,800 Speaker 1: All right, So it's it is something that you're you're 166 00:07:33,800 --> 00:07:34,640 Speaker 1: pretty worried about. 167 00:07:34,640 --> 00:07:36,760 Speaker 2: You're keeping a close eye on obviously. 168 00:07:37,560 --> 00:07:39,679 Speaker 3: So Katie, I when I was a Minister for Racing, 169 00:07:39,680 --> 00:07:42,840 Speaker 3: Gaming and Licensing reduced that cap three times. It is 170 00:07:42,880 --> 00:07:45,920 Speaker 3: something that is going through a process around with the 171 00:07:45,960 --> 00:07:49,080 Speaker 3: Director of Gaming Machines. But yes, it does concern me. 172 00:07:49,800 --> 00:07:52,840 Speaker 3: Sixty more posty machines going into that small community. 173 00:07:53,560 --> 00:07:56,200 Speaker 2: Well, it will be interesting how far away is that decision. 174 00:07:57,600 --> 00:08:00,520 Speaker 3: That would be a question for the Director of Life. 175 00:08:00,840 --> 00:08:04,160 Speaker 3: He's got that legislative responsibility. But there was a process 176 00:08:04,200 --> 00:08:07,200 Speaker 3: where community could put in submissions. That closed I think 177 00:08:07,240 --> 00:08:09,440 Speaker 3: about a week and a half two weeks ago, Katie, 178 00:08:09,720 --> 00:08:12,559 Speaker 3: So he will take all of that into consideration. 179 00:08:12,360 --> 00:08:14,640 Speaker 1: All right, Chief Minister Natasha Files will leave it there. 180 00:08:14,680 --> 00:08:16,720 Speaker 1: I know it's a busy day. We appreciate you taking 181 00:08:16,760 --> 00:08:18,480 Speaker 1: the time to have a quick chat with us this morning. 182 00:08:19,640 --> 00:08:20,760 Speaker 1: Take care, thank you.