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Speaker 1: We know that there was a further interest rate rise.

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Speaker 2: The Reserve Bank lifted its official interest rate to four

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Speaker 2: point one percent yesterday. It's a level that's not seen

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Speaker 2: since early twenty twelve, and the Bank's board decided to

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Speaker 2: lift the cash rate target by zero point twenty five

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Speaker 2: of a percentage point for the second month in a row.

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Speaker 2: It's amit concerns that inflation is taking too long to

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Speaker 2: come down.

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Speaker 1: Now.

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Speaker 2: The Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers says the decision will be

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Speaker 2: difficult for many Australian households, stressing that the rise was

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Speaker 2: not the result of the federal budget or wage rises.

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Speaker 2: Now joining me on the line is the Northern Territories

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Speaker 2: Treasurer Evil Lawler. Good morning to your treasurer.

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Speaker 3: Good morning Katie.

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Speaker 2: Now, Treasurer, what impact are these rate rises having here

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Speaker 2: in the Northern Territory from your perspective?

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Speaker 3: Yeah, so, I think that everybody that has a mortgage

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Speaker 3: is absolutely feeling the cash rate rise to four point

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Speaker 3: one percent, and that's why is the government we put

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Speaker 3: in some measures around costs of living in our budget,

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Speaker 3: so we're really pushing to keep our power prices down.

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Speaker 3: That's something that we can control in the Northern Territory.

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Speaker 3: As I said, cash rates are the Reserve Bank and

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Speaker 3: the Federal government. So it's something that we can do

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Speaker 3: which is really pushed down those power prices.

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Speaker 2: It is a really tough one though, isn't it, because

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Speaker 2: you know, we are saying more and more people start

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Speaker 2: to struggle, and I think it's really like it's Middle Australia,

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Speaker 2: those that do have mortgages and people are having to

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Speaker 2: tighten their belts in ways that they've maybe not previously

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Speaker 2: had to.

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Speaker 3: Well, yes, it's all I think we heard today it's

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Speaker 3: been ten years since we've seen a four point four

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Speaker 3: point one percent cash rate, so it's been ten years

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Speaker 3: where we've had really low, really low, less than one

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Speaker 3: percent cash rates. So yeah, it is. It is a

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Speaker 3: problem for territories, it's a problem across Australia. But it

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Speaker 3: is a way to drive down that inflation is to

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Speaker 3: put up those cash rates and then that's the idea

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Speaker 3: is that it pushes down spending. That that was a

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Speaker 3: part of the result of OVID where we saw a

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Speaker 3: lot of cash flushing through. So things need to be tightened.

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Speaker 3: But yeah, I can understand, and we're all in the

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Speaker 3: same boat around comper living, you know, whether that's your

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Speaker 3: grocery bill going up. And I think everybody, every family

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Speaker 3: is having to make some adjustments around those things, the

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Speaker 3: decisions they make, which is, you know, less going out

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Speaker 3: for dinner, maybe you know, cheaper cuts of meat, all

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Speaker 3: of those things that we do. But Katie, I was

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Speaker 3: around when interest rates with seventeen percent, Yes, I really

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Speaker 3: do remember only having not being able to pay off

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Speaker 3: any interest on loans and things like that at times,

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Speaker 3: and having your visa card maxed down was a terrible

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Speaker 3: situation to be in with young kids. So absolutely can

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Speaker 3: empathize and understand around this. So as I said, yes,

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Speaker 3: and it's a position no one wants to be in.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, it's tough going.

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Speaker 2: It is tough going for so many And I know

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Speaker 2: that you touched on there and take that the Northern

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Speaker 2: Territory government, you know, with the power prices, I think

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Speaker 2: we are in a good situation here in the territory

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Speaker 2: where at least we're not seeing those power prices go

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Speaker 2: up enormously likes happened in other states. Treasure, do you

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Speaker 2: reckon there is more that we could be doing in

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Speaker 2: the Northern Territory to assist with the cost of living

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Speaker 2: for territorians.

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Speaker 3: Know, I'm always happy to hear ideas from people, and

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Speaker 3: you know we take advice obviously from Treasury around that.

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Speaker 3: We actually have some really good things in place in

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Speaker 3: the territory and things like you know, the sports vouchers,

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Speaker 3: the back to school vouchers, all of our concessions for pensioners.

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Speaker 3: We've got some really good concessions in place, but you know,

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Speaker 3: we're always looking at other options and things to improve

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Speaker 3: that because you know, it's a double edged sword for

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Speaker 3: government as well. If people have more cash in their pocket,

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Speaker 3: people are more likely to go out and spend it.

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Speaker 3: So you know, that's why I've just talked about restaurants.

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Speaker 3: You know, if people have some extra cash, they're more

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Speaker 3: likely to go out and spend that, which means more jobs,

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Speaker 3: and that's what you want to see as a treasurer,

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Speaker 3: more people in the territory, more jobs. So yeah, it

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Speaker 3: is one of those ones that but you know, the

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Speaker 3: predictions are by the end of this year we'll start

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Speaker 3: to see things improve around inflation and going into twenty

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Speaker 3: twenty four. So yeah, I think we all have to

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Speaker 3: just hold our breath for a bitten as I said,

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Speaker 3: ride this one out. But you know it's worldwide, it's

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Speaker 3: not just here. And as I said, it was one

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Speaker 3: of those results out of COVID where every country puts

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Speaker 3: so much money into rebounding as well as things that

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Speaker 3: we're doing to simulate spending.

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Speaker 2: Now, you did touch on just a moment ago you said,

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Speaker 2: you know, more people coming to the Northern Territory and

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Speaker 2: there has been some concerns around accommodation for international students.

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Speaker 2: So I know that CDU Vice Chancellor Scott Bowman, he's

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Speaker 2: making headlines after urging territories with a spare room in

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Speaker 2: their homes to open them.

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Speaker 1: Up to international students.

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Speaker 2: It is expected that thousands of those students are going

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Speaker 2: to move to Darwin in the coming years, but in

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Speaker 2: the short term, about six hundred are expected to flood

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Speaker 2: into Darwin in the next few weeks with nowhere to stay.

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Speaker 1: Minister.

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Speaker 2: The government and CDU have been pushing for additional international

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Speaker 2: students for quite some time. It was part of the

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Speaker 2: Terci report. Why are we in a situation where there's

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Speaker 2: not adequate student accommodation?

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Speaker 3: Yeah, so o, Katie, as you said, it has been

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Speaker 3: a clear vision of our government to revitalize the CBD

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Speaker 3: and bring more students into town. In government has been

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Speaker 3: working on this since at least twenty sixteen seventeen, so

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Speaker 3: you know Scott Bowman, we've heard him talking about study

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Speaker 3: stays and those options over the next few months or

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Speaker 3: the next twelve months. The figures are I think between

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Speaker 3: six and seven hundred new students coming in. But government

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Speaker 3: has been working. Louise McCormack, our Infrastructure Commissioner, has been

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Speaker 3: working on solutions. There is the Planning has approved the

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Speaker 3: seventy two room, eight story development in Shepherd Street, so

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Speaker 3: that's one option that's about to get off the ground.

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Speaker 3: But the government is absolutely working with a range of

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Speaker 3: developers that have some interest. We've approved a number of

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Speaker 3: developments previously for the CBD, so things like Palm Court,

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Speaker 3: Chinatown Noodle House on the Esplanade. There's been a number

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Speaker 3: of approvals that we've done in the past around future accommodation.

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Speaker 3: I also suspect that some of our developers aren't jumping

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Speaker 3: at development at the moment because we're seeing increases in

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Speaker 3: the cost of building supplies by up to thirty percent

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Speaker 3: and the shortage of labor as well, which is really

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Speaker 3: tight at the moment, So what we where we might

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Speaker 3: have previously seen some developers who have already got approvals

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Speaker 3: around some developments that haven't rushed into that. That might

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Speaker 3: be one of the problems around that. But Louis and Formack,

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Speaker 3: our Infrastructure Commissioner, she's got a team that's working with CDU,

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Speaker 3: so they have a very clear picture of the demand

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Speaker 3: that Scott Bowman has for CDU around that. And again

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Speaker 3: it's government's role to facilitate the process for private developers,

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Speaker 3: not necessarily our role to compete with private developers.

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Speaker 1: And I don't think anyone's suggesting that now people to sort.

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Speaker 3: Of provide some land or so a developer can come

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Speaker 3: to our surround them at land and we might be

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Speaker 3: able to allocate land and then there's an opportunity for

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Speaker 3: them to build and then to have long term leases

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Speaker 3: with Northern Terby Government or with CDUTH.

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Speaker 2: So just with that, with that location on Shepherd Street,

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Speaker 2: when are you expecting that that is going to get

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Speaker 2: under construction or is it a new build or is

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Speaker 2: it a refer No, No.

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Speaker 3: It's a brand new build. So that has got all

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Speaker 3: the approvals, so it should be starting very very soon.

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Speaker 3: So that's underway seventy two room specific student accommodation.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I guess you know.

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Speaker 2: The concern here is that, you know, if we do

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Speaker 2: want to meet that seven thousand student target that was

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Speaker 2: raised in the Tersi report, we are going to need more,

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Speaker 2: of course than just locals offering rooms. And I know

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Speaker 2: that you've touched on one of those projects there and

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Speaker 2: said that Louise McCormack working with industry. But you know

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Speaker 2: this has been that Tersey report came out quite some

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Speaker 2: time ago. Why are we dragging our heels well, I.

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Speaker 3: Said, Katie. I think there's been a number of approvals

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Speaker 3: and but I think also you know, it is costly

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Speaker 3: at the moment to build, as we've talked about an

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Speaker 3: additional thirty percent, So some of our people, who some

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Speaker 3: of our territorians who are developers, haven't jumped at those

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Speaker 3: opportunities around that. But you know, there is there are

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Speaker 3: other things that are in the pipeline. There is a

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Speaker 3: housing accord that's I mean obviously needing to go through

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Speaker 3: the Senate, which the federal government is talking about a

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Speaker 3: million new homes in ten years. So you know, there

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Speaker 3: are options, and they're the conversations that we're having is

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Speaker 3: can some of those suggestions around new builds or homes

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Speaker 3: be around student accommodation? Could so could some of those

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Speaker 3: be used for student accommodation in the Darwin CBD. So yeah,

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Speaker 3: Louise McCormack's leading that team and doing a lot of

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Speaker 3: work around that. But as you said, it's not cheap

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Speaker 3: to actually eat it's how the new building or build

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Speaker 3: a new builds around that. But as I said, it's

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Speaker 3: one that there is something happening and will continue to

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Speaker 3: work with developers and Louise has a couple she's having

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Speaker 3: some good, strong conversations around around options that the territory

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Speaker 3: might be able to facilitate around land and then building.

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Speaker 3: So there are things. When the time's we'll obviously make

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Speaker 3: announcements around that.

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Speaker 2: And look, I guess what people will be wondering is

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Speaker 2: are we going to have adequatesh and enough accommodation for

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Speaker 2: international students when the new CDU campus is complete, Because

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Speaker 2: you know, we do want international students here, we do

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Speaker 2: want to see the town flourishing, but we've got to

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Speaker 2: make sure that there's somewhere safe for them to live.

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Speaker 3: Yes, one hundred percent absolutely agree on that we know

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Speaker 3: the value of having international students for the economy let alone,

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Speaker 3: you know the vibrant multicultural community having young people in

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Speaker 3: our CBD. So yes, government's very much aware of that.

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Speaker 3: As I said, Louis McCormack at one of our great

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Speaker 3: public servants, is working very hard around this issue.

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Speaker 2: I know the CLP did say yesterday they'd come out

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Speaker 2: and said that we could be capitalizing on the high

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Speaker 2: commercial vacancies in the Darwin CBD and create an immediate

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Speaker 2: framework that will allow the streamlined conversion of commercial to residential.

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Speaker 1: Is that something that the Northern Territory government is looking.

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Speaker 3: At, that's already happened, that can already happen. I was

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Speaker 3: actually quite confused when Leah came out talking about that,

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Speaker 3: the leader of the opposition. So there's already buildings that

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Speaker 3: have been repurposed so people would understand the Hate hotel

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Speaker 3: and those apartments in Smith Street. So that was during

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Speaker 3: the impacts when there was a strong demand for accommodation.

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Speaker 3: In Palmerson, there's Baywood Plaza which has a retail down

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Speaker 3: the bottom and some office down the bottom. It used

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Speaker 3: to have on its second the next floor up office

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Speaker 3: accommodation that's been turned into bedsits, So there is you know,

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Speaker 3: as long as as long as the building owners comply

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Speaker 3: with the National Construction Code guidelines around that that's already

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Speaker 3: in place. And as I said, we have examples where

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Speaker 3: there's already work being done to convert office accommodation into

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Speaker 3: residential or to as I said, apartments and things, so

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Speaker 3: that one absolutely can happen. And if there are any

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Speaker 3: landholders or in the CBD, absolutely have some conversations with

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Speaker 3: either myself or Louise McCormack. Very open to those conversations.

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Speaker 1: Minister.

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Speaker 2: Let's move along because there is a few other things

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Speaker 2: I'd like to get your take on. But one of

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Speaker 2: the things that got a few of our listeners well

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Speaker 2: really quite concerned a couple of weeks ago was the

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Speaker 2: situation on school counselors. Are you able to give us

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Speaker 2: a bit of an update or is there a bit

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Speaker 2: of an update on the situation with those school counselors.

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Speaker 3: Yes, so, Katie, I absolutely must emphasize that counselors must

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Speaker 3: be in schools. You know, it's my role as minister

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Speaker 3: and the Northern Territory Government's role as elected government is

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Speaker 3: to set the policy position. It's then up to the

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Speaker 3: CEO and the department who then implement those policy decisions

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Speaker 3: and operationalize those policies. So I can assure people your

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Speaker 3: counselors will not be removed from schools. We all absolutely

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Speaker 3: understand the value of counselors. You know that work around

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Speaker 3: the social well being of young people in our schools

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Speaker 3: is absolutely important.

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Speaker 2: Are they going to be based at the Mitchell Center though,

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Speaker 2: and then sort of sent out to rove around.

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Speaker 3: No, they aren't. They will be in schools. Have been

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Speaker 3: absolutely adamant about that. As I said, that's our policy

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Speaker 3: position is to have that additional support, whether it's school nurses,

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Speaker 3: whether it's school based constables, or whether it's counselors. Schools

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Speaker 3: need those additional resources. They're part of the whole puzzle.

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Speaker 3: I mean, a school will have a well being planned.

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Speaker 3: They will you know, in their curriculum they'll talk about

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Speaker 3: well being and how to be resilient and you know,

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Speaker 3: all of those things around the health and well being

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Speaker 3: of young people. They have policies in place, but it's

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Speaker 3: also the culture of the school. You know, that zero

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Speaker 3: tolerance to bullying, you know, supporting and celebrating the diversity

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Speaker 3: of their student population, whether it's students with disabilities or multicultural.

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Speaker 3: But absolutely those counselors will stay in schools.

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Speaker 1: But we also did the department.

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Speaker 2: Was the Department doing something contrary to what you wanted

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Speaker 2: in terms of talking about them being based out of

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Speaker 2: the Mitchell Center, because that was a really big concern

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Speaker 2: that was being raised both by the Council of Government

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Speaker 2: Schools COGSOIT and also by students.

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Speaker 3: Yes, yes, I mean obviously heard Ladline and clearly from

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Speaker 3: a range of people around that. I think the issue

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Speaker 3: is that there's a national shortage of qualified professionals, whether

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Speaker 3: that's social workers or ots or speech therapists. There is

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Speaker 3: an absolute shortage across Australia child psychologists in all of

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Speaker 3: those areas, so all those areas that support the young

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Speaker 3: people with their mental health. So I think what the

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Speaker 3: Department was doing was trying to manage the shortage, but

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Speaker 3: also where there was a vacancy, say at Nightclift Middle School,

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Speaker 3: trying to move staff between those and manage it that way.

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Speaker 3: But as I said, it then obviously worried people that

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Speaker 3: their counselor that they had in their school, whether that

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Speaker 3: was Casualina Senior College would be removed. So we've been

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Speaker 3: very clear about that. The Department's now doing a national

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Speaker 3: recruitment campaign around that. We're also in discussions with the

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Speaker 3: department around ideas to look at how they can get

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Speaker 3: how they can support and train people to become those

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Speaker 3: allied health professionals as well, So whether that's through scholarships

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Speaker 3: or opportunities for them to be on the current wage

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Speaker 3: where they are, but to get those qualifications because we

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Speaker 3: do know there's a shortage whether you're waiting for your

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Speaker 3: child to be assessed for speech or ot. But yeah,

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Speaker 3: very clear that those counselors must remain in schools.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I think it is so incredibly important. We know

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Speaker 2: that they do a phenomenal job. Now, Minister, before I

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Speaker 2: let you go this morning, just a couple of quick ones.

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Speaker 2: Yesterday the Children's Commissioner released a position paper on restraint

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Speaker 2: chairs and spi hoods, calling for their prohibition to be

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Speaker 2: enshrined in law. Does an Athern Territory government have any

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Speaker 2: plans to do this?

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Speaker 3: No, we don't. The band spittled for you detention facilities

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Speaker 3: and for young people. That was a decision of Cabinet

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Speaker 3: so you know, that is an absolute decision of Cabinet

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Speaker 3: that we've put in place. So at this stage there

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Speaker 3: is no plans around putting that in legislation.

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Speaker 1: I mean, we've got to make sure our police are

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Speaker 1: protected too, right, you know, stare being spat at. It's disgusting.

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Speaker 3: Oh, I think absolutely all our front line I mean,

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Speaker 3: and I include teachers in when I talk about frontline,

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Speaker 3: I also include teachers in frontline. Often we talk about

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Speaker 3: ambos and fieries and our police, but our teachers and

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Speaker 3: health workers. But also I'd like to include teachers in that.

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Speaker 3: It is a disgusting thing to do and I think

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Speaker 3: all territorianes agree around that. So you know, police have

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Speaker 3: previously reviewed what they're doing in their watch houses, they

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Speaker 3: have modernized their processes, but it has to uphold the

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Speaker 3: safety of our police and we know those in custody

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Speaker 3: as well. And I think we all agree it's absolutely

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Speaker 3: disgusting and we absolutely support our police around that.

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Speaker 2: A lot of concerns being raised at the moment as well.

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Speaker 2: We've had quite a few calls and messages about this,

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Speaker 2: and I know that it is a federal government responsibility.

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Speaker 2: The lights of the Berkley Highway. But we're being told

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Speaker 2: that there's massive potholes around the place.

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Speaker 3: Yes, so that we do gain. I often get lots

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Speaker 3: of text messages and emails around potholes. So the diple

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Speaker 3: have a plan around what their road repairs. And obviously

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Speaker 3: they've been very much focused on where they've had to

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Speaker 3: literally rebuild roads in that kal KORINGI that area, but

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Speaker 3: they continue to roll out upgrades. I know the Stuart

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Speaker 3: Highway has been a priority for them as well as

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Speaker 3: I drove between Tenant Creek and Alice Springs recently and

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Speaker 3: there's some washout areas there that they are working on.

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Speaker 3: So but yet, let any of listeners let them know

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Speaker 3: anybody listening. You know, you can on the Dipple's website

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Speaker 3: there's a complaints aureo, an area where you can actually

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Speaker 3: notify and we'll we'll get onto it. But there is

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Speaker 3: a plan around that work. And as I said prior,

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Speaker 3: I think some of the bigger areas. But yes, understand

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Speaker 3: around potholes, it's something when you've had a big wet

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Speaker 3: that's inevitable almost.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, it is. And pleased to hear that that work

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Speaker 1: is getting underway. Minister.

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Speaker 2: Before I let you go it is thank you first

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Speaker 2: responded day. Obviously we just touched on the wonderful work

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Speaker 2: that our first responders do. But do you have a

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Speaker 2: message for our first responders this morning?

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Speaker 3: Yeah, absolutely grateful for the work you do. None of

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Speaker 3: us ever want to be in the situation where we

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Speaker 3: need an ambulance or we need to need police, but

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Speaker 3: absolutely grateful for the work our first responders do. My

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Speaker 3: husband was a firefighter for thirty five years and I

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Speaker 3: know how difficult that work was at times. But thank

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Speaker 3: you to all our first responders.

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Speaker 2: Well Treasurer and also Minister for various portfolios, Evil Lawler,

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Speaker 2: We really.

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Speaker 1: Appreciate your time this morning. Thanks for coming on the show.

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Speaker 3: Thanks Katie, thank you