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Speaker 1: We know that there is an unusually high amount of

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Speaker 1: rain being forecast in central Australia. According to the Weather Bureau,

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Speaker 1: a flood watch remains in place for the southern and

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Speaker 1: western parts of the Northern Territory and we are due

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Speaker 1: to catch up with Louise Blato in just a moment

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Speaker 1: because the area could be in for rainfall totals between

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Speaker 1: fifty to one hundred millimeters, which is five times the

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Speaker 1: June average, And we are going to be catching up

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Speaker 1: in just a moment's time with the NT Road Transport

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Speaker 1: Association's Louise Belato to find out a little bit more

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Speaker 1: about this rain band and what impact it may or

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Speaker 1: may not have. But also coming your way in a

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Speaker 1: few minutes time, Dan Tee and the Federal Shadow Minister

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Speaker 1: for Immigration and Citizenship is going to be joining us

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Speaker 1: on the line as well, but right now joining us

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Speaker 1: to have a bit of a discussion about this rain

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Speaker 1: which is forecast. It is Louise Belato from the NT

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Speaker 1: Road Transport Association. Good Morne wanting to Louise.

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Speaker 2: Good morning, Katie.

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Speaker 1: How are you not too bad? Louise? What are you

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Speaker 1: hearing about this rain band and the potential road closures.

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Speaker 2: Yes, some rain obviously already reported around Yallara, but it

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Speaker 2: seems to be changing quite rapidly, so our operators in

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Speaker 2: the Tanami region or making forward plans, and there's been

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Speaker 2: some rainfall around Wayhill and so some of the cattle

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Speaker 2: carters that had to do minor changes to their work

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Speaker 2: plans as well, but nothing too dramatic at this stage.

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Speaker 1: Well, that is good to hear because I guess it's

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Speaker 1: always a bit of a concern, isn't it. And we

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Speaker 1: know that the roads in some locations have been damaged

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Speaker 1: to earlier this year as well.

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Speaker 2: Oh absolutely, our anty road reports still highlights those that

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Speaker 2: are closed and have ongoing damage, and that is our

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Speaker 2: unsealed network. We always need to be preparing when you're

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Speaker 2: going on an unsealed road because of those uncertainties and

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Speaker 2: whether it's severe corrugations or build us or in this

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Speaker 2: case unexpected weather events, people have to plan ahead. I

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Speaker 2: think the fit Story crossing, which is obviously very tenuous

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Speaker 2: because the low level crossing might be impacted for a

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Speaker 2: few days today. The advice is that the single lane

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Speaker 2: bridge is open to nineteen meters only, so any road

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Speaker 2: trains coming through there today we'll get through, but they'll

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Speaker 2: have to break up and obviously recouple, but that could

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Speaker 2: change and that could close in the next day.

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Speaker 1: Louise, what could it potentially mean for freight and various

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Speaker 1: things coming into the territory.

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Speaker 2: Well, the Great Norton Highway, as we know, was impacted

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Speaker 2: months and months with the bridge being washed away. So

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Speaker 2: to get the crossing opened earlier in June was a

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Speaker 2: good thing. But again everyone's aware that that is tenuous

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Speaker 2: and we've had companies already making arrangements for freight to

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Speaker 2: be delivered by other means the long way around if

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Speaker 2: need be. But this isn't seen to be a long

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Speaker 2: term thing. It'll be a minor inconvenience and it's probably

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Speaker 2: more likely to impact the gray nomad that apparently in

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Speaker 2: the Kimberleyan droves at the moment.

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Speaker 1: Oh goodness, may well not good for them, but it

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Speaker 1: sounds as though it isn't going to be too bad

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Speaker 1: when it comes to the Northern territory, and certainly when

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Speaker 1: it comes to the work that our truckies are doing

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Speaker 1: and our freight.

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Speaker 2: No no, I mean obviously the Stewart Highway. We need

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Speaker 2: that to hold up and we need to have all

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Speaker 2: the civil contractors that are busily doing road repairs and

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Speaker 2: maintenance able to continue to do their work. And we

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Speaker 2: also need those maintenance grades on our unsealed network to

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Speaker 2: be continuing as well. So you know, sometimes a little

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Speaker 2: bit of rain can be good for that. Not too

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Speaker 2: much though, because I said, it will make you know,

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Speaker 2: significant delays if it becomes considerable. Katie, I just wanted

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Speaker 2: also to take a quick opportunity to thank the rail

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Speaker 2: contractor for the speed and efficiency and professionalism with which

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Speaker 2: they managed the derailment. Yes, because obviously there were yes,

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Speaker 2: well there were road transport operators who were involved in

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Speaker 2: picking up the slack temporarily, but they did an extremely

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Speaker 2: efficient job managing that derailment. And yeah, the industry just

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Speaker 2: wish just to acknowledge that.

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Speaker 1: And Louise, it was like it was quite a large,

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Speaker 1: you know, situation for everybody involved. And I think once

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Speaker 1: we'd sat down with the fieries and sort of heard

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Speaker 1: just how much work needed to be done in the

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Speaker 1: first instance straight after that crash, but also in terms

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Speaker 1: of getting things back on track, it is pretty incredible

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Speaker 1: how fast it all happened.

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Speaker 2: Extremely and as I said, they are to be commended

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Speaker 2: for their professionalism, also the level of communication, the openness

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Speaker 2: and the transparency. Obviously the rail investigator that all worked

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Speaker 2: very well too, and again credit where credits due, so

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Speaker 2: we don't wish to see any sorts of events like

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Speaker 2: that occur again, but what we have seen is their

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Speaker 2: capacity to respond in an emergency very very well.

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Speaker 1: Well Louise Blato, it is always good to catch up

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Speaker 1: with you. I really appreciate your time and thank you

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Speaker 1: so much for having a quick chat with us this morning.

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Speaker 2: Thank you very much, Katie, thank you, thanks so much.