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Speaker 1: Now.

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Speaker 2: Yesterday, Natasha Fhiles announced a new cabinet team as part

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Speaker 2: of what she's described as a renewed, refreshed and refocused

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Speaker 2: Territory government, saying the Territory's cabinet team has the experience,

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Speaker 2: the energy and ideas to keep building the territory's future.

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Speaker 2: There are two new appointments to the cabinet. The Member

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Speaker 2: for Fanny Bay, Brent Potter, has been appointed the Minister

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Speaker 2: for Police, Minister for Fire and Emergency Services and Minister

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Speaker 2: for Veterans Affairs. The second new appointment is Member for

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Speaker 2: Johnson Joel Bowden. Now Mister Boden's going to serve as

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Speaker 2: the Minister for Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics, the Minister for

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Speaker 2: Business and Jobs, the Minister for Skills, Training and International Education,

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Speaker 2: as well as the Minister for Tourism and Hospitality and

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Speaker 2: Minister for Recreational Fishing. But with the new appointments comes

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Speaker 2: the demotions of Lauren Moss and Paul Kirby, kicked from

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Speaker 2: the cabinet without so.

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Speaker 3: Much, so thank you.

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Speaker 2: In the Chief Minister's press release yesterday, the Chief Minister

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Speaker 2: joins me on the show. Good morning to your Chief Minister.

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Speaker 1: Good morning Katie, Good morning listeners.

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Speaker 3: Chief Minister.

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Speaker 2: Firstly, why did you boot Paul Kirby and Lauren Moss?

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Speaker 1: So, Katv's are difficult decisions and as leader, I signed

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Speaker 1: up to make the tough decisions and I believe this

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Speaker 1: is in the best interests of Territorians. But I certainly

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Speaker 1: acknowledge Lauren and Paul and the contribution that they've made

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Speaker 1: and will continue to make as members of our government team.

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Speaker 3: Are they upset, Katie?

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Speaker 1: They are disappointed and that's natural, But this is a

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Speaker 1: decision for the Northern Territory. It's a tough decision. They

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Speaker 1: are disappointed, but this is about making sure that we've

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Speaker 1: got a team that's focused in the ministry on the

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Speaker 1: needs of Territorians going forward.

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Speaker 2: As is always the case, the rumors arrive around the

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Speaker 2: top end at the moment that Paul Kirby's not going

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Speaker 2: to be recontesting at the next election.

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Speaker 1: Is that the case, so, Katie, they would be questions

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Speaker 1: for Paul Kirby and perhaps Lauren as we head towards

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Speaker 1: twenty time twenty four. I think every member of the

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Speaker 1: Legislative Assembly reflects upon what they've achieved and what their

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Speaker 1: future is. It's an unusual job. You sign up for

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Speaker 1: four years and you know it's not a normal job

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Speaker 1: that you can take holidays when you want and sickly

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Speaker 1: even things. So everyone considers their future. But as I said,

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Speaker 1: Lauren and Kirby have done an enormous amount and they're

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Speaker 1: still part of our team. But I understand their disappointment.

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Speaker 2: I mean, presumably though they've had to have done something

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Speaker 2: that you didn't like for you to kick them out

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Speaker 2: of the cabinet and promote to junior members of Parliament.

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Speaker 1: So Katie, you know, putting together cabinet is like putting

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Speaker 1: together a puzzle and you've got one piece here and

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Speaker 1: it pushes another piece over there. And I'm lucky to

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Speaker 1: have a talented team a wide variety of views. But

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Speaker 1: I believe that the members of the ministry are renewed,

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Speaker 1: refreshed and ready to work even harder for territory.

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Speaker 3: All right.

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Speaker 2: It's a massive demotion as well for Kate Warden, who's

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Speaker 2: lost both the Police and Territory Families portfolio.

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Speaker 3: Why when you've been at.

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Speaker 2: Pains to say that there's never been a bigger investment

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Speaker 2: in police, more officers than ever before, and that she's

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Speaker 2: working so hard.

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Speaker 1: So, Katie, I don't have anything bad to say about

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Speaker 1: my colleagues and particularly Kate Warden, but as I said,

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Speaker 1: it was time to renew and give different responsibilities, and

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Speaker 1: that's what I've done as leader, making these tough decisions.

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Speaker 2: So it's not a matter where anybody's done anything wrong,

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Speaker 2: it's just that you've felt that you need a refreshed faces.

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Speaker 1: Katie. We've been an incredibly stable team, both under my

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Speaker 1: leadership and the previous years before that, since you know,

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Speaker 1: twenty sixteen, seven years and minimal cabinet reshuffles. But as

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Speaker 1: I've said, you know, from time to time you need

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Speaker 1: to reset that team. You need to put those pieces

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Speaker 1: in place, and that's what I've done yesterday. Heading into

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Speaker 1: twenty twenty four.

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Speaker 2: It was widely discussed when you became the Chief Minister

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Speaker 2: that the support of Kate Warden is what.

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Speaker 3: Elevated you to the top job.

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Speaker 2: Is that leadership in jeopardy now that you've demoted her, Katie.

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Speaker 1: We're a solid team and you work and have interviewed

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Speaker 1: Kate Warden. She is an important part of our team.

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Speaker 1: She's got tenacity, she is an incredibly hard worker, and

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Speaker 1: these changes were about making sure that we were focused

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Speaker 1: for Territorians and aligning people I believe with portfolios that

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Speaker 1: are important, which is community safety and also growing the

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Speaker 1: economy and reducing the cost of living.

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Speaker 2: So you've family, You've still got Kate Warden's support, Katie,

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Speaker 2: I've got the support of my team.

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Speaker 1: It's not about that. It's about the cabinet and going

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Speaker 1: forward into twenty twenty four. We know that Territorians, you know,

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Speaker 1: will be thinking about who do they want to govern

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Speaker 1: and do they want a solid team that's delivering. We

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Speaker 1: don't want to go back to the eighteen cabinet reshuffles

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Speaker 1: of the COLP. So for me, it's about focusing on

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Speaker 1: the needs of Territorians as they head towards next August.

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Speaker 2: Well, I think the problem right now is that a

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Speaker 2: lot of Territorians don't actually feel that your government's delivering.

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Speaker 3: The crime stats are woeful.

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Speaker 2: Police have been saying that they're under resourced for some time.

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Speaker 2: I mean, is this change actually going to make any

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Speaker 2: kind of difference?

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Speaker 1: So, Katie, my priorities, as I said, is growing the

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Speaker 1: economy and the cost of living, but absolutely making the

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Speaker 1: territory safer. And it's not one thing that will impact

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Speaker 1: on community safety. It's a multitude of measures. It's working

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Speaker 1: with police and the resources they need. We've got that

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Speaker 1: review underway, but it's also stopping those behaviors from before

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Speaker 1: they happen.

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Speaker 2: You are giving, though arguably the most important portfolio right now,

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Speaker 2: to a person who's never been a minister before. The

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Speaker 2: Police Association yesterday welcomed your attempt to address the issue

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Speaker 2: of having one minister overseeing both police and territory families,

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Speaker 2: which often they say led to conflicting interests and priorities.

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Speaker 2: But they have a very real concern around mister Potter's

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Speaker 2: lack of experience. The Police Association say the police portfolio

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Speaker 2: is too important to be handballed to a novice minister

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Speaker 2: with a mere twelve months of government experience. A sensible

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Speaker 2: decision would have been for you yourself to reclaim that portfolio,

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Speaker 2: which is traditionally sat with the Chief Minister. Why didn't

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Speaker 2: you take the portfolio yourself and Katie.

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Speaker 1: I accept that commentary from the nt Police Association. Their

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Speaker 1: job is to keep us account and make sure that

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Speaker 1: we are supporting police. But in terms of Brent, I

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Speaker 1: believe he has got the skills and the role he

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Speaker 1: will play will be vital. So the nature of the

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Speaker 1: cabinet is we generally have a lot of portfolios. I've

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Speaker 1: given Brent that specific focus. I've also separated police from

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Speaker 1: fire and emergency services, which means the Police Commission will

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Speaker 1: be solely focused on police. So, Katie, I'm confident into

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Speaker 1: the future with his very specific focus that this will

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Speaker 1: be successful.

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Speaker 2: So what skills does he have that makes you think

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Speaker 2: that he's going to be better at this job than

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Speaker 2: what you yourself would have been.

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Speaker 1: So, Katie, he served in the army for a decade,

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Speaker 1: serving as a major.

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Speaker 3: But that's very different though to being a police officer.

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Speaker 1: Correct, But he also has served as a senior advisor

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Speaker 1: for police and I think since his elections of Parliament

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Speaker 1: last year, he's made a huge contribution in his community

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Speaker 1: working through these types of issues. And I know that

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Speaker 1: he knows how to take on a tough mission and

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Speaker 1: to make those hard decisions in stressful situations. So I'm

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Speaker 1: confident this is the right decision. And he's already out

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Speaker 1: there hitting the ground running in terms of speaking with

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Speaker 1: and working and will be out on the front line.

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Speaker 1: He's already done right along so that he can hear

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Speaker 1: directly from police officers on the front line around what

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Speaker 1: they need to support them in their role.

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Speaker 3: So was Kate Warden not doing those things?

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Speaker 1: So from my perspective, Katie, as I said, this changing

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Speaker 1: of cabinet ministry positions is about refocusing about refreshing so

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Speaker 1: that we can work even harder. And I've chosen people

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Speaker 1: and portfolios that i best reflect the priorities of territory.

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Speaker 2: All right, the separation of the fire service, who's going

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Speaker 2: to so from the police So ordinarily it was the

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Speaker 2: same commissioner of course, Michael Murphy overseeing both of those

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Speaker 2: two areas. Who's going to take over as the CEO

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Speaker 2: of the fire service.

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Speaker 1: So they'll become their their own agency and that position

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Speaker 1: will be recruited to for fire and emergency services in

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Speaker 1: terms of you know, the territory we're seeing more climatic

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Speaker 1: weather events as we do see climate change, So making

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Speaker 1: sure that we strengthen fire and emergency services so that

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Speaker 1: we've got that resilience is a key priority of making

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Speaker 1: that change, as well as allowing the police commissioner to

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Speaker 1: be solely focused on policing the charactory.

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Speaker 2: Is that going to be a costly exercise to separate

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Speaker 2: those two agencies.

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Speaker 1: Katie, the cost will be kept to a minimum. I

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Speaker 1: think this is important. It's something that I've thought about

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Speaker 1: long and hard. I've had discussions with the Commissioner and

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Speaker 1: others about it, and I feel that this will be

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Speaker 1: in the best interests of delivering those two outcomes that

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Speaker 1: I just said.

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Speaker 3: All right.

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Speaker 2: Joel Bowden is also in now. He's taking on the

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Speaker 2: infrastructure portfolio amongst others. Infrastructure is a massive portfolio. I

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Speaker 2: know that Evil aw has had a lot of support

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Speaker 2: in this portfolio from industry.

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Speaker 3: Why is he in?

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Speaker 2: So?

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Speaker 1: Joel is someone that is a lifetime Territorian and I

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Speaker 1: believe that this is an important role and he'll be

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Speaker 1: able to feel that fulfill that right across the Northern Territory,

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Speaker 1: not just here in the top end. And it's about

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Speaker 1: making sure that we grow that economy and that Territorians

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Speaker 1: have jobs.

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Speaker 2: Chief Minister, have you had to do a deal with

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Speaker 2: Brent Potter and Joel Bowden to keep yourself on as

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Speaker 2: the Chief Minister?

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Speaker 1: Oh? Absolutely not, Katie.

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Speaker 2: So this isn't about doing deals with different factions of

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Speaker 2: the party or anything like that to keep yourself safe.

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Speaker 1: No, as Chief Minister, I'm there to make the tough decisions.

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Speaker 1: The last you know, dye or so has been incredibly

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Speaker 1: tough for my team making this change. But everyone is

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Speaker 1: at work listening to Territorians and there was certainly no

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Speaker 1: deals done, Katie.

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Speaker 3: Chief Minister.

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Speaker 2: There are a lot of people questioning right now if

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Speaker 2: it's actually you who should be reshuffled out, Katie.

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Speaker 1: People will reflect upon that next August. Do they want

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Speaker 1: a steady, stable government where we are absolutely delivering the

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Speaker 1: big projects growing the economy focused on cost of living?

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Speaker 1: You know, it is expensive out there for every day Ratorians,

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Speaker 1: the mums and dads. We've put in place a number

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Speaker 1: of measures and will continue to work in that space

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Speaker 1: as well as community safety, so people can make that

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Speaker 1: decision next August.

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Speaker 2: Do you genuinely believe right now that you are effective

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Speaker 2: in the role?

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Speaker 1: Yes?

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Speaker 2: Now, I want to ask you, have you also made

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Speaker 2: changes to the top of your department of Chief wins

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Speaker 2: is Frank Daily also being moved out.

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Speaker 1: So Katie, as a part of this reset of you

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Speaker 1: know my team, doctor Daily won't be continuing in the

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Speaker 1: role as the head of Chief Minister and Cabinet. Ken

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Speaker 1: Davies will take on that role and be in that position.

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Speaker 1: Why so, Katie, you know there is important issues facing

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Speaker 1: the Northern Territory. We're absolutely focused about growing the economy,

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Speaker 1: getting those big projects here. We know the opportunities. It's

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Speaker 1: an age of opportunity for the territory. And at the

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Speaker 1: same time, you know the community safety is paramount to me.

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Speaker 1: So these are big changes, but I think this is

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Speaker 1: best place to serve the territory.

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Speaker 2: So was he not effective in that role as the

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Speaker 2: chief executive of your department? I mean it sort of

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Speaker 2: sounds as though you're feeling as though some of the

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Speaker 2: areas where you were hoping to see some change, you're

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Speaker 2: not seeing that change.

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Speaker 1: So Katie, we've done an enormous amount and we've delivered hugely.

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Speaker 1: But from my perspective, it's about making tough decisions that

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Speaker 1: put the territory in the best position going forward. So

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Speaker 1: none of this is easy, but I think it's the

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Speaker 1: right thing to do to support the territory.

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Speaker 3: Well, time will tell.

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Speaker 2: I suppose Chief Minister four Corners last night, did you

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Speaker 2: watch it? It focused on security, private security in the

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Speaker 2: Northern Territory.

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Speaker 1: Katie, I did I miss the start of it? Just

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Speaker 1: juggling the kids and getting them off to bed. But

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Speaker 1: I did get to see a fair chunk of it,

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Speaker 1: and I think that our security guards do an enormous

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Speaker 1: job in very tough conditions. I think that there's some

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Speaker 1: allegations around four corners, and I know that they've been

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Speaker 1: spoken about on your show and they've been referred to

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Speaker 1: the ABC formally, so you know, I think that there's

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Speaker 1: always two sides to a story. But from my perspective,

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Speaker 1: our security guards do an enormous job. They work in

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Speaker 1: with a number of agencies, for example, Larikia Nation City

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Speaker 1: Council as well as police.

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Speaker 2: Are though actually expecting these security guards to do the

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Speaker 2: jobs of police.

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Speaker 1: So Katie, it's a balance. It's about making sure that

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Speaker 1: police are focused on policing and that we have security

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Speaker 1: that can play an important role in community safety, just

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Speaker 1: as we have transit security offices and other frontline services.

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Speaker 2: So I mean, I guess at the heart though of

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Speaker 2: the report, and look, I don't necessarily agree with somebody

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Speaker 2: flying in from another state and making judgment on the

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Speaker 2: way in which we operate here in the Northern Territory

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Speaker 2: then flying out. But at the heart of that report,

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Speaker 2: questions about whether private security should actually be doing the

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Speaker 2: job that many see as being a police role. And

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Speaker 2: we know that right now in the territory we do

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Speaker 2: not have enough police to be able.

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Speaker 3: To do that job.

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Speaker 1: So Katie, I think, you know, perhaps a dollar figure

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Speaker 1: can help people understand. We invest around two million dollars

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Speaker 1: into private security. We have a billion dollar community safety budget, so.

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Speaker 2: Two million right across the board, across all your departments.

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Speaker 1: Understanding is that we invest two million dollars into private

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Speaker 1: security out of a one billion dollar community safety budget.

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Speaker 2: So only two million dollars, But I thought we're investing

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Speaker 2: an enormous amount on security just out at Royal dal

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Speaker 2: And Hospital alone.

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Speaker 1: So Katie, in terms of agencies they would interact with

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Speaker 1: different security. Those staff that work at Royal Dalen Hospital,

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Speaker 1: they fulfill a number of roles. Yes, they make sure

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Speaker 1: that the building is safe. Hundreds of people work there

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Speaker 1: and visit each day, and they fulfill a number of roles.

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Speaker 2: So it's not only two million dollars by the sounds

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Speaker 2: of it. There are different budgets within each agency.

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Speaker 1: So Katie, in terms of the budget for private security,

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Speaker 1: I'm advised that it's two million out of a billion

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Speaker 1: dollar community safety budget in terms of agencies and what

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Speaker 1: their needs are specifically for their buildings and operations that

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Speaker 1: would be different.

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Speaker 2: Are you being negligent though by putting security into a

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Speaker 2: role that police should be doing. I mean that was

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Speaker 2: really what they were pointing out last night on that report,

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Speaker 2: is that these security guards are being placed into situations

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Speaker 2: that may not be for anybody.

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Speaker 1: So, Katie, those security staff have qualifications mental health, advanced

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Speaker 1: first aid, cultural awareness, and de escalation, and as I said,

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Speaker 1: they are part of that community safety piece. I see

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Speaker 1: them at my local shopping center. They engage with people,

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Speaker 1: they try and stop behaviors before they become criminal, and

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Speaker 1: we need to interact with police. And this is a

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Speaker 1: process that's been in place in the territory for over

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Speaker 1: twenty years. I understand they are licensed, so there is

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Speaker 1: structures there that perhaps weren't represented last night in that program.

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Speaker 2: So are there going to be any changes following that

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Speaker 2: report overnight?

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Speaker 1: Katie? The one element that I'm probably looking at is

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Speaker 1: to have some type of complaints online for quick reporting.

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Speaker 1: So if you've got an interaction that you're not satisfactory with,

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Speaker 1: but you're not necessarily going to go to the police

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Speaker 1: and make a report. How can that information be ascertained

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Speaker 1: because the large majority of security guards do the right thing,

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Speaker 1: but there probably is some bad eggs, So how can

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Speaker 1: we provide that information? So that's probably the one aspect

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Speaker 1: that I would look at.

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Speaker 3: And no changes to the security guards.

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Speaker 2: You believe that they are doing a good job and

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Speaker 2: they've got your support, Katie.

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Speaker 1: I do. And they licensed in the territory. Licensing and

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Speaker 1: T is the regulator, and additionally, if they're operating under

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Speaker 1: a government contract, the Ombunsman can provide oversight and do

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Speaker 1: an investigation. So I do think there is checks and

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Speaker 1: balances that perhaps weren't represented in that program last night.

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Speaker 2: Is that going to be something now that Brent Potter

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Speaker 2: as the incoming Minister for Police so is going to

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Speaker 2: have to take a look closer look at.

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Speaker 1: So Licensing and T sits within the Department of Industry,

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Speaker 1: Tourism and Trade and Ombardsman sits generally.

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Speaker 3: And so those security guards.

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Speaker 2: So those security guards though sit within which department?

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Speaker 1: So Katie, as we've just been saying, security guards are private, but.

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Speaker 3: Are they managed by a department?

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Speaker 2: Because I know that that was something that the Police

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Speaker 2: Association had raised some concerns about.

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Speaker 1: So the poor contract. I understand sits with police, but

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Speaker 1: we were just talking about the life and the oversight

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Speaker 1: which is not sitting in within police.

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Speaker 2: But with the PORU that sits within the police. Does

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Speaker 2: that open you up to any kind of or does

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Speaker 2: that open the police up to any possibility of litigation

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Speaker 2: for them if one of those security guards does do

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Speaker 2: the wrong thing.

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Speaker 1: I wouldn't believe so, Katie, because the oversight would be

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Speaker 1: the ombardsman if the government contract is not being delivered correctly,

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Speaker 1: and police overseeing those contracts means that they can say, well,

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Speaker 1: police are doing this job. We need some support here

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Speaker 1: and this would be the best tool. And I gain

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Speaker 1: point to these tools being used for a couple of

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Speaker 1: decades in the territory.

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Speaker 2: All right, Chief Minister. Just lastly, I mean the fact

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Speaker 2: that we're having to use security guards around the city,

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Speaker 2: around the northern suburbs, right around the Northern territory right now,

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Speaker 2: does that demonstrate an absolute failure by your government to

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Speaker 2: be able to get this crime and anti social behavior

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Speaker 2: under control.

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Speaker 1: The anti social behavior and crime issues in the territory

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Speaker 1: incredibly complex, and as I said, Katie, we've got a

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Speaker 1: number of resources and it is our absolute focus as

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Speaker 1: a government.

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Speaker 2: Chief Minister Natasha Philes will leave it there. Thank you,

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Speaker 2: as always for your time, Take care,