1
00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,759
Speaker 1: That on Friday, the government announced that those changes would

2
00:00:02,759 --> 00:00:07,080
Speaker 1: come into place when it comes to those border entries

3
00:00:07,120 --> 00:00:10,600
Speaker 1: and no longer needing a border entry form when entering

4
00:00:10,640 --> 00:00:13,360
Speaker 1: the Northern Territory, So essentially you no longer need to

5
00:00:13,400 --> 00:00:16,720
Speaker 1: be double vax to travel from interstate now. The change, though,

6
00:00:16,840 --> 00:00:20,160
Speaker 1: has many questioning why we are continuing with check ins

7
00:00:20,200 --> 00:00:24,200
Speaker 1: and other mandates when the government's totally relaxed the borders. Now,

8
00:00:24,239 --> 00:00:27,480
Speaker 1: the CEO of Hospitality here in the Northern Territory, Alex Bruce,

9
00:00:27,520 --> 00:00:28,840
Speaker 1: joins me on the line right now.

10
00:00:28,880 --> 00:00:30,000
Speaker 2: Good morning to you, Alex.

11
00:00:31,320 --> 00:00:34,400
Speaker 3: Good morning Katie. It's official. Your local watering hole is

12
00:00:34,440 --> 00:00:37,080
Speaker 3: now the front line in the COVID culture wars.

13
00:00:37,240 --> 00:00:39,440
Speaker 2: It sounds that way, Alex.

14
00:00:39,720 --> 00:00:42,239
Speaker 1: Were you surprised when the government came out and announced, Well,

15
00:00:42,280 --> 00:00:44,480
Speaker 1: they didn't actually come out. They sent out a press

16
00:00:44,520 --> 00:00:48,080
Speaker 1: release on Friday afternoon saying that those border entry requirements

17
00:00:48,120 --> 00:00:52,479
Speaker 1: were no longer needed, but you know, the hospitality industry

18
00:00:52,520 --> 00:00:55,400
Speaker 1: is obviously going to be having to check that everyone's vaccinated.

19
00:00:55,440 --> 00:00:55,720
Speaker 2: Still.

20
00:00:57,000 --> 00:01:00,320
Speaker 3: Look, it did make sense that the border form wasted

21
00:01:00,320 --> 00:01:04,600
Speaker 3: in line with the international borders opening today, but we

22
00:01:04,800 --> 00:01:07,240
Speaker 3: very much expected to see the check in app the

23
00:01:07,280 --> 00:01:11,280
Speaker 3: now redundant checking system that they're not even using scrapped

24
00:01:11,400 --> 00:01:14,440
Speaker 3: as well. You know, we just heard from the minister.

25
00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:16,480
Speaker 3: You did a pretty good interview, but she tried to

26
00:01:16,560 --> 00:01:19,520
Speaker 3: best not to answer anything directly with you. You know,

27
00:01:20,120 --> 00:01:23,360
Speaker 3: the same logic applies that we're high vaxed that bugger

28
00:01:23,440 --> 00:01:25,560
Speaker 3: or people were crossing the border that were low vaxed,

29
00:01:25,880 --> 00:01:28,840
Speaker 3: yet we have to patrol within our clubs. Still talk

30
00:01:28,880 --> 00:01:31,440
Speaker 3: about a double standard, Katie Well, and this is.

31
00:01:31,400 --> 00:01:33,520
Speaker 1: I think what's got people quite concerned at the moment.

32
00:01:33,560 --> 00:01:35,560
Speaker 1: They're wondering, you know, why are we in a situation

33
00:01:35,720 --> 00:01:38,120
Speaker 1: where you're still having a check in where you still

34
00:01:38,120 --> 00:01:40,640
Speaker 1: have a mandate for people to get triple VAXX to

35
00:01:40,680 --> 00:01:42,880
Speaker 1: be able to go to work, but you're allowed to

36
00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:44,120
Speaker 1: travel into the territory.

37
00:01:45,440 --> 00:01:48,360
Speaker 3: That's it. So you can probably come and socialize with

38
00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:52,680
Speaker 3: territorians at the local swimming pool or the local council library.

39
00:01:53,240 --> 00:01:55,080
Speaker 3: You may or may not be able to get a beer,

40
00:01:55,240 --> 00:01:57,080
Speaker 3: but you definitely won't be able to get a job

41
00:01:57,120 --> 00:01:58,880
Speaker 3: with us. Isn't that just bizarre?

42
00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:02,000
Speaker 1: Yeah, and this is I think at the moment there's

43
00:02:02,040 --> 00:02:04,400
Speaker 1: some real confusion around the place. A lot of people

44
00:02:04,440 --> 00:02:09,000
Speaker 1: sort of wondering why we need some rules and not others. Alex,

45
00:02:09,080 --> 00:02:11,920
Speaker 1: what impact is this going to have now? Is it

46
00:02:11,960 --> 00:02:14,280
Speaker 1: going to change in any way? Do you think when

47
00:02:14,280 --> 00:02:17,280
Speaker 1: it comes to staff in hospitality having to check people's

48
00:02:17,320 --> 00:02:18,440
Speaker 1: vaccination status?

49
00:02:19,720 --> 00:02:22,560
Speaker 3: Olive, We just want equity across the system. Remember two

50
00:02:22,639 --> 00:02:24,720
Speaker 3: years ago, everyone was sitting around the fire with a

51
00:02:24,760 --> 00:02:28,240
Speaker 3: guitar saying we're all in this together. We're now, you know,

52
00:02:28,440 --> 00:02:30,920
Speaker 3: feeling like we're right out on the limb. There is

53
00:02:30,960 --> 00:02:33,560
Speaker 3: no science that backs up that a licensed versus that

54
00:02:33,680 --> 00:02:37,240
Speaker 3: unlicensed cafe carries more risk. There is no science that

55
00:02:37,320 --> 00:02:42,120
Speaker 3: treats an outdoor licensed cafe like a heaving, steaming nightclub.

56
00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:45,200
Speaker 3: But we ignore the gyms. You know, you can poke

57
00:02:45,280 --> 00:02:47,600
Speaker 3: holes in this every which way. And our advice to

58
00:02:47,639 --> 00:02:49,320
Speaker 3: government on this is, you know, the longer that they

59
00:02:49,440 --> 00:02:52,640
Speaker 3: keep redundant systems in place, it really does start to

60
00:02:52,680 --> 00:02:55,760
Speaker 3: impact the public confidence in the public health response and

61
00:02:55,840 --> 00:02:58,160
Speaker 3: starts to look more about control than health.

62
00:02:58,560 --> 00:02:58,920
Speaker 2: Alex.

63
00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:00,680
Speaker 1: It sounds as though your stuff did he get quite

64
00:03:00,720 --> 00:03:02,360
Speaker 1: pissed off about it all to be blunt.

65
00:03:03,440 --> 00:03:07,000
Speaker 3: Oh look, Katie. Last week doctor Nick Coatsworth, former Deputy

66
00:03:07,040 --> 00:03:10,160
Speaker 3: Chief Medical Officer of Australia. You know, so the scientist,

67
00:03:10,200 --> 00:03:12,360
Speaker 3: the expert, he knows what he's talking about. He let

68
00:03:12,400 --> 00:03:15,800
Speaker 3: the cat out of the bag. COVID, especially the current strain,

69
00:03:15,919 --> 00:03:18,679
Speaker 3: is now less concerning than the flu. He's calling for

70
00:03:18,720 --> 00:03:21,799
Speaker 3: an immediate end for all masks in classrooms as a priority.

71
00:03:22,240 --> 00:03:24,880
Speaker 3: You know, why are we indoctrinating our kids to be fearful,

72
00:03:24,919 --> 00:03:26,440
Speaker 3: to socialize and grow up normally?

73
00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:28,760
Speaker 1: Katie, Well, I guess some I'm listening this morning, though,

74
00:03:28,840 --> 00:03:31,480
Speaker 1: We'll say, you know, we've now got fifteen deaths as

75
00:03:31,520 --> 00:03:35,200
Speaker 1: a result of COVID. Many of those did have underlying

76
00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:38,280
Speaker 1: health issues. But there is a real impact within our

77
00:03:38,320 --> 00:03:39,960
Speaker 1: hospitals at the moment as well.

78
00:03:41,080 --> 00:03:44,720
Speaker 3: There is, and that impact is thirty percent less hospitalization

79
00:03:44,880 --> 00:03:47,720
Speaker 3: than there was two weeks ago. That's fifty one less

80
00:03:47,760 --> 00:03:50,320
Speaker 3: people in hospital than there were two weeks ago with

81
00:03:50,960 --> 00:03:53,800
Speaker 3: not due to COVID. The government has never declared how

82
00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:56,520
Speaker 3: many people are popping up in their stats with COVID,

83
00:03:56,600 --> 00:03:59,480
Speaker 3: but with underlying issues. You know, we heard from the Nurses'

84
00:03:59,520 --> 00:04:01,720
Speaker 3: union laugh week that someone that goes in with a

85
00:04:01,720 --> 00:04:04,520
Speaker 3: broken leg clogs up the hospital bed for seven days

86
00:04:04,520 --> 00:04:08,000
Speaker 3: if they test a symptomatic positive. You know, we really

87
00:04:08,040 --> 00:04:10,160
Speaker 3: need to be interrogating this stuff more. But yeah, we're

88
00:04:10,160 --> 00:04:12,480
Speaker 3: thirty percent better off and we've got one or two

89
00:04:12,520 --> 00:04:15,200
Speaker 3: people in ICU as we have buy and large for

90
00:04:15,200 --> 00:04:18,520
Speaker 3: the last two months with COVID. So that everyone that

91
00:04:18,640 --> 00:04:21,120
Speaker 3: is advocating that position and the government that's defending it,

92
00:04:21,480 --> 00:04:23,680
Speaker 3: are they saying one or two people in our ICU

93
00:04:23,760 --> 00:04:26,320
Speaker 3: system with COVID is too much for our system to

94
00:04:26,360 --> 00:04:29,640
Speaker 3: cope with. It doesn't sound like a very robust system, Katie.

95
00:04:29,720 --> 00:04:32,320
Speaker 1: Now, Alex, you've been calling for a couple of weeks

96
00:04:32,360 --> 00:04:34,960
Speaker 1: now for this check in system to be scrapped. Why

97
00:04:35,080 --> 00:04:37,800
Speaker 1: is this so important that you know, you feel as

98
00:04:37,839 --> 00:04:39,920
Speaker 1: though it needs to go. Obviously, listening to the Health

99
00:04:39,920 --> 00:04:42,440
Speaker 1: minister this morning, sounds like the check in system is

100
00:04:42,480 --> 00:04:44,960
Speaker 1: going to be the system required to, you know, make

101
00:04:45,040 --> 00:04:46,240
Speaker 1: sure people are vaccinated.

102
00:04:47,760 --> 00:04:50,200
Speaker 3: Well, you don't need to if they're going to maintain

103
00:04:50,240 --> 00:04:54,360
Speaker 3: the vax passport on us almost exclusively on one section

104
00:04:54,440 --> 00:04:56,520
Speaker 3: of the society, which we don't think is fair or

105
00:04:56,640 --> 00:04:59,320
Speaker 3: just all backed up by the science. But if they

106
00:04:59,320 --> 00:05:01,600
Speaker 3: were going to do that, there are those government apps

107
00:05:02,080 --> 00:05:05,560
Speaker 3: on both iPhone and Android phones directly from you can

108
00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:08,680
Speaker 3: download your medicare data, so we don't need the territory

109
00:05:08,760 --> 00:05:11,039
Speaker 3: checking app at all. And if they're going to scrap

110
00:05:11,080 --> 00:05:14,919
Speaker 3: it from you know, Cole's Wooly petrol stations, fair enough.

111
00:05:15,120 --> 00:05:18,880
Speaker 3: You know it is absolutely not doing anything. The generic

112
00:05:18,920 --> 00:05:21,039
Speaker 3: message you get is if you have got symptoms, please

113
00:05:21,040 --> 00:05:24,080
Speaker 3: get tested. How about they just calm everything down, put

114
00:05:24,080 --> 00:05:26,240
Speaker 3: that on some bus wraps and drive them around town.

115
00:05:26,560 --> 00:05:28,919
Speaker 1: Alex, what impact like when you talk about some of

116
00:05:28,960 --> 00:05:31,440
Speaker 1: the different venues, especially when you go, all right, well,

117
00:05:31,440 --> 00:05:34,200
Speaker 1: if you've got a cafe that doesn't serve alcohol, you

118
00:05:34,240 --> 00:05:37,280
Speaker 1: don't need to be checking people's vaccination status. But if

119
00:05:37,320 --> 00:05:39,880
Speaker 1: you do serve alcohol, my understanding is that you then

120
00:05:40,080 --> 00:05:42,760
Speaker 1: do need to be checking their vax status. What kind

121
00:05:42,839 --> 00:05:46,000
Speaker 1: of impact does that have on some of our businesses?

122
00:05:46,120 --> 00:05:51,039
Speaker 1: Are some businesses being forced to employ additional security to

123
00:05:51,200 --> 00:05:52,599
Speaker 1: check that people are checking.

124
00:05:52,279 --> 00:05:56,400
Speaker 3: In some are a lot more of very very concerned.

125
00:05:56,520 --> 00:05:59,160
Speaker 3: You know, people can probably get around the rules if

126
00:05:59,160 --> 00:06:03,039
Speaker 3: they want to, and so therefore the liability doesn't just

127
00:06:03,080 --> 00:06:05,240
Speaker 3: rest with that individual that keeps getting threatened with a

128
00:06:05,279 --> 00:06:07,880
Speaker 3: five and a half thousand dollar fine. That any business

129
00:06:07,880 --> 00:06:11,520
Speaker 3: that's not taking reasonable steps to inch enforce these mandates

130
00:06:11,880 --> 00:06:14,360
Speaker 3: can get a twenty five thousand dollar fine, So that's

131
00:06:14,360 --> 00:06:16,800
Speaker 3: hanging over the heads. You know, we're not comfortable about it.

132
00:06:16,839 --> 00:06:19,280
Speaker 3: More and more of our customers aren't comfortable about it

133
00:06:19,640 --> 00:06:22,080
Speaker 3: and starting to question more and more of the absolute

134
00:06:22,360 --> 00:06:25,359
Speaker 3: futility of it all. So you know, we just think

135
00:06:26,720 --> 00:06:29,240
Speaker 3: for the government, don't hold on to your control and

136
00:06:29,320 --> 00:06:32,960
Speaker 3: new restrictions too long. We need a clear change of approach.

137
00:06:33,520 --> 00:06:33,919
Speaker 2: Alex.

138
00:06:34,040 --> 00:06:37,320
Speaker 1: Just finally, these international borders are opening today. It's obviously

139
00:06:37,360 --> 00:06:40,599
Speaker 1: a good thing. Is industry fairly excited? It was sort

140
00:06:40,600 --> 00:06:43,479
Speaker 1: of cautious. I'm assuming that there's not huge numbers of

141
00:06:43,480 --> 00:06:45,880
Speaker 1: people arriving, but we'll find out more when we catch

142
00:06:45,920 --> 00:06:48,040
Speaker 1: up with the airport in just a short time.

143
00:06:48,120 --> 00:06:49,760
Speaker 2: But how are you guys feeling this morning?

144
00:06:50,839 --> 00:06:53,800
Speaker 3: Look, it's positive. It's been two years coming, and particularly

145
00:06:54,200 --> 00:06:56,840
Speaker 3: so Glenn and Daniels broad a membership out in the

146
00:06:56,880 --> 00:07:00,880
Speaker 3: tourism space TTE and Tourism Central Australia. A lot of

147
00:07:00,880 --> 00:07:03,479
Speaker 3: these businesses have been all but dormant or hibernating for

148
00:07:03,600 --> 00:07:06,800
Speaker 3: a couple of years, so hopefully they're planning to gear

149
00:07:06,800 --> 00:07:09,840
Speaker 3: back up and have a good season this year. For us,

150
00:07:09,880 --> 00:07:13,360
Speaker 3: we just want as simple a rules to follow as

151
00:07:13,360 --> 00:07:16,360
Speaker 3: possible and not the chopping and changing that we're still getting.

152
00:07:16,800 --> 00:07:19,960
Speaker 1: Well, Alex Bruce, it's all getting a bit confusing. It

153
00:07:20,040 --> 00:07:22,880
Speaker 1: has been for quite some time. But yeah, we'll wait

154
00:07:22,920 --> 00:07:25,400
Speaker 1: and see exactly when the government makes some changes. It

155
00:07:25,440 --> 00:07:27,640
Speaker 1: didn't sound like they're planning to do anything in a

156
00:07:27,640 --> 00:07:28,440
Speaker 1: real hurry.

157
00:07:28,200 --> 00:07:31,880
Speaker 3: Did it, look I didn't. But we're still waiting for

158
00:07:31,920 --> 00:07:34,960
Speaker 3: the Chow direction for the employee mandate that was announced

159
00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:37,080
Speaker 3: weeks and weeks ago, so you know, maybe that is

160
00:07:37,120 --> 00:07:40,200
Speaker 3: a sign that behind the scenes they're starting to read

161
00:07:40,240 --> 00:07:42,920
Speaker 3: the room a little bit. You know, the community's views

162
00:07:42,960 --> 00:07:45,440
Speaker 3: on this are changing, and they're changing for the better.

163
00:07:46,120 --> 00:07:50,120
Speaker 3: Let's all just carry carry on and have a cracking year.

164
00:07:50,320 --> 00:07:51,560
Speaker 2: Yeah, let's see how we go.

165
00:07:51,720 --> 00:07:56,200
Speaker 1: Alex Bruce, the Hospitality t CEO, always appreciate your time.

166
00:07:56,240 --> 00:07:57,680
Speaker 2: Thanks for chatting with me this morning.

167
00:07:58,680 --> 00:07:59,880
Speaker 3: Cheers, Gatie, Well, thank you