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Speaker 1: As we know, the election commitments continue and this morning

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Speaker 1: the Prime Minister is in Darwin with a number of

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Speaker 1: ministers to unveil Labour's Health and age Care plan for

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Speaker 1: the Northern Territory, which includes sixty million dollars to be

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Speaker 1: used in partnership with an age care provider to support

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Speaker 1: the delivery of a residential care home for the Darwin region.

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Speaker 1: The Health and age Care plan also includes an upgraded

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Speaker 1: Medicare mental health center in Alice Springs, a headspace plus

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Speaker 1: and a youth specialist care center in Darwin. Anthony Albanese

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Speaker 1: is also set to reaffirm his pledge of ten point

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Speaker 1: one million dollars to Care Flight to purchase a plane

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Speaker 1: to support medical evacuations and transportation in the top end.

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Speaker 1: Now joining me on the line to talk further about

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Speaker 1: this is the Minister for Government Services, Finance and Women,

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Speaker 1: Katie Gallagher. Good morning to.

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Speaker 2: You, Good morning, thanks for having me on.

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Speaker 1: Minister, thank you so much for your time. Now, first

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Speaker 1: of what is this sixty million dollar investment into age

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Speaker 1: care going to see exactly?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, So this is an important project, but it's essentially

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Speaker 2: to build a new one hundred and twenty residential care

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Speaker 2: beds in Darwin. We know that Darwin's got the lowest

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Speaker 2: number of age care beds in the country and this

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Speaker 2: will go directly to trying to address that. But it's

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Speaker 2: not only that. I mean, we're also doing projects in

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Speaker 2: other parts of the Northern Territory like in Malaningrida and

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Speaker 2: places like that. So this is a big one for

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Speaker 2: Darwin and it will address really I think a lot

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Speaker 2: of unmet need that people would know exists here and

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Speaker 2: help the hospital really as well, which we know is

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Speaker 2: a place where they get a lot of older people

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Speaker 2: who can't exit into other options. This will help address that.

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Speaker 1: Look, it's something we've spoken about extensively on this show

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Speaker 1: over the years. We've had a number of people contact

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Speaker 1: us at different times to say they're elderly pair needs

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Speaker 1: and age care bed forced to stay at Royal Darwin

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Speaker 1: Hospital for extended periods. You know, obviously the nurses the

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Speaker 1: healthcare stuff doing a phenomenal job there, but it's not

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Speaker 1: ideal for those age care patients. But look, I guess

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Speaker 1: the concern I've got is that Back in twenty twenty three,

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Speaker 1: there was an announcement made about an expression of interest

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Speaker 1: process for a sixty bed age care facility including twelve

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Speaker 1: specialist dementia care places in the Greater Darwin area, and

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Speaker 1: we haven't seen anything eventuate from that. My understanding is

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Speaker 1: that we weren't actually able to find a provider through

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Speaker 1: that EOI process. So what's going to be different this

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Speaker 1: time round?

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Speaker 2: Well, I think a lot has happened since then, including

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Speaker 2: all of the reforms to age care that we've pushed

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Speaker 2: through and a lot of new investment in age care,

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Speaker 2: and we're seeing it right across the country that providers

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Speaker 2: are now prepared because they can sort of see the

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Speaker 2: certainty of the new age care system and the money

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Speaker 2: that's going into it, that they can now start thinking

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Speaker 2: about or you know, in terms from a business plan,

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Speaker 2: making those investments in capital essentially, which is facilities. So

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Speaker 2: my understanding is with the project that we want to

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Speaker 2: see delivered with our sixty million dollars, is that there

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Speaker 2: are a number of providers around five I think from memory,

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Speaker 2: who are very interested in this and I don't think

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Speaker 2: there's going to be any shortage of interest in getting

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Speaker 2: it done. We'll work with the Northern Territory government of

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Speaker 2: course around how that's delivered, but we're putting the money

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Speaker 2: on the table that really makes it viable for providers

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Speaker 2: to come in and provide that care. And we're seeing

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Speaker 2: this around the country Like in the I come from

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Speaker 2: the Act, we've got similar issues around shortage of beds

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Speaker 2: and we're now seeing capital investments start to flow because

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Speaker 2: of the reforms essentially and providing certainty to the age

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Speaker 2: care sector about what the government's role will be.

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Speaker 1: So you are confident that we're going to be able

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Speaker 1: to provide to get a provider this time round. I

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Speaker 1: mean what if we can't, Look.

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Speaker 2: We'll work with the Northern Territory government. We obviously see

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Speaker 2: this as a real need and again I just in

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Speaker 2: terms of talking with the Age Care Minister this morning,

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Speaker 2: she was saying there is a number of providers that

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Speaker 2: are actively interested in it. So we feel very confident

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Speaker 2: that this will project will absolutely get done and we

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Speaker 2: will get those beds in place and we'll continue, as

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Speaker 2: I said, to work with the Northern Territory government about

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Speaker 2: rolling out this PROGRES project.

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Speaker 1: So just in terms of that sixty million dollar investment,

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Speaker 1: so is that going to see the actual infrastructure built

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Speaker 1: and then the Northern Territory government needs to you know,

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Speaker 1: it needs to actually find the budget to be able

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Speaker 1: to fund the operational costings.

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Speaker 2: Well, I think it's a it's probably a mix of

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Speaker 2: all of those things. There's probably some discussions about land

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Speaker 2: where the you know, and I understand there's land near

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Speaker 2: the hospital that has been considered as an option. Here.

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Speaker 2: Obviously our commitment of funds and then working with the

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Speaker 2: provider about their role in delivering the projects. So I

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Speaker 2: think there's always you know, a number of elements to

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Speaker 2: it that need to be rolled through, but we're very

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Speaker 2: confident that our commitment of sixty million dollars will get

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Speaker 2: this project done.

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Speaker 1: Minister. I don't want to sound ungrateful, because sixty million

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Speaker 1: dollars is an enormous commitment to the Northern Territory, but

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Speaker 1: I do want to stand up for the families that

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Speaker 1: you know that really do want this to happen. And

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Speaker 1: I mean they're going to be saying this morning, well,

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Speaker 1: why is this, If this is so important, and if

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Speaker 1: there's providers that are keen and if there's a way

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Speaker 1: that we can make this work, why is it only

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Speaker 1: being announced on the eve of an election.

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Speaker 2: Well, I think this is when we did the age

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Speaker 2: care reforms late last year. So that's been settled now

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Speaker 2: we had to get those through the Parliament and obviously

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Speaker 2: we've got to, I think be clear about what the

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Speaker 2: work going forward is. We've done a huge amount in

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Speaker 2: age care really to stop the sector from falling over

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Speaker 2: in the last three years. When we came to government,

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Speaker 2: you know, it was terrible. The Royal Commission had really

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Speaker 2: outlined all of the stuff that hadn't been done in

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Speaker 2: age care, and we're trying to turn that ship, including

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Speaker 2: getting the workforce in place so you know, making sure

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Speaker 2: we're paying age care workers the right amount of money

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Speaker 2: has helped stop them all leaving the sector, which means

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Speaker 2: we're in a position to employ them to actually run

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Speaker 2: the services. So I don't think you can see it

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Speaker 2: just in isolation of all the other work that's been

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Speaker 2: done in age care to make sure that you know,

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Speaker 2: when we do put money on the table for this facility,

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Speaker 2: that we've actually got the workforce and the providers prepared

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Speaker 2: to work with us to deliver it. And you know,

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Speaker 2: that's been a big part of the last three years,

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Speaker 2: is trying to fix all of the problems in age care.

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Speaker 1: How soon is this facility going to be up and

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Speaker 1: running well?

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Speaker 2: I think that probably depends on those kind of final

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Speaker 2: negotiations about where it goes a provider getting all that done.

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Speaker 2: But our money is on the table and we are

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Speaker 2: very keen to make sure that this is done as

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Speaker 2: quickly as possible.

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Speaker 1: Has there been some discussions with the Northern Territory government

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Speaker 1: on that.

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Speaker 2: Look, yes, not me personally, but I understand the Minister

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Speaker 2: for Health and through him, the Age Care Minister have

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Speaker 2: been engaged both with the former Northern Territory government and

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Speaker 2: the current Northern Territory government about getting this done all right.

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Speaker 1: I understand there's also a number of other announcements being

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Speaker 1: made today. What else is being announced, which is I

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Speaker 1: guess new money that hasn't previously. I know the commitment

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Speaker 1: around care flight is something that had previously been committed.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, that's right, and I think part of today is

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Speaker 2: bringing it all together. So we've been doing a lot

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Speaker 2: of work in the hospital funding with the Northern Territory.

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Speaker 2: We were in an urgent care center this morning and

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Speaker 2: there's additional urgent care clinics opening and then all of

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Speaker 2: our mental health announcements, so I know that's a big

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Speaker 2: area of need right across Australia, but here in the

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Speaker 2: territory as well, making sure people can get access to

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Speaker 2: that mental health care, you know if it's kind of

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Speaker 2: less urgent through the Medicare mental health centers, but also

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Speaker 2: through Headspace with enhanced services there and a focus on

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Speaker 2: really young people with chronic mental health conditions or very

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Speaker 2: complex conditions. So all of that's part of the commitment

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Speaker 2: that we have been talking about today. And they're really

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Speaker 2: popular services and we know there's no shortage of demand,

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Speaker 2: so really important that Northern Territory in Darwin gets it's

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Speaker 2: their share of those important programs.

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Speaker 1: Yeah. I know again through discussions I've had with listeners

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Speaker 1: on the show, particularly with teenage children and some of them,

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Speaker 1: you know, with serious mental health concerns unable to get

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Speaker 1: the support that is required. So I think it is

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Speaker 1: absolutely imperative that that is able to happen for the

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Speaker 1: Northern Territory. Minister, just a quick one before I let

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Speaker 1: you go. I know that there has been some concerns

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Speaker 1: raised about cuts to the public service. It's something that

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Speaker 1: you're obviously pretty worried about as the minister in that space.

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Speaker 1: My understanding is that Peter Dutton has now backflipped on

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Speaker 1: cutting the public service. What I mean, has he had

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Speaker 1: a change of heart? What do you make of it all?

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Speaker 2: Look, it's a bit hard to keep up, I have

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Speaker 2: to say, because there's a lot of Peter Dutton changing

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Speaker 2: his mind, but also a lot of his colleagues saying

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Speaker 2: something different. Look, essentially, they've said they'll cut forty one

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Speaker 2: thousand jobs from the public service, then they said they'd

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Speaker 2: do it by attrition, and then today we've had some

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Speaker 2: of them saying they're going to do it by redundancy.

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Speaker 2: But essentially they're looking at cutting the public service by

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Speaker 2: about twenty percent. Now here in Darwin. That would be

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Speaker 2: about five hundred across the territory, to be about five

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Speaker 2: hundred jobs would go, of which three hundred or so

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Speaker 2: would be in Darwin. And the big employers are in

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Speaker 2: places like Services Australia, Defense, NIMA, those big frontline agencies

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Speaker 2: that really work to help people. So we are really

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Speaker 2: worried about We think it's a big griek. We've tried

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Speaker 2: to make sure that we've got enough public servants to

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Speaker 2: do the job that we ask them to do and

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Speaker 2: make sure that people get the services they need. And

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Speaker 2: that's why I'm kind of traveling around the country arguing

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Speaker 2: against them because I just think it'd be bad for

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Speaker 2: people if these cuts happen.

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Speaker 1: Hey just really quickly. I know as well, today the

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Speaker 1: Opposition leader Peter Dutton or it's certainly been revealed nationally

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Speaker 1: that he was allegedly a target of a terror plot

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Speaker 1: by a schoolboy in Queensland. I understand that that press

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Speaker 1: conference in Darwin this morning as well, the Prime Minister

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Speaker 1: said that he's also been a target at different times.

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Speaker 1: I mean it is pretty worrying stuff that our political leaders,

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Speaker 1: you know, whether your love or loath our politicians, you know,

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Speaker 1: no matter what side of the fence you sit on,

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Speaker 1: I think it's pretty disgraceful when people are having to

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Speaker 1: worry about, you know, about threats against the safety. Yeah.

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Speaker 2: Look, I think the world, you know, feels like a

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Speaker 2: bit of an uncertain place at times, and you know,

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Speaker 2: safety of all our citizens is really important. And yeah,

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Speaker 2: I mean politicians, I guess, because we're a bit more public,

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Speaker 2: we're a bit more out there, we can often be

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Speaker 2: you know, targets of security concerns. But the PM said

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Speaker 2: this morning, you know, he has a lot of faith

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Speaker 2: in our security agencies and in the AFP and that

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Speaker 2: who provide protection to people. But yeah, unfortunately, you know,

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Speaker 2: the incident with Peter Dutton is one of I think

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Speaker 2: a number that face high profile politicians, so yeah, it

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Speaker 2: seems to be part of our work these days. But

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Speaker 2: the AFP and that are great in keeping people safe.

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Speaker 1: Well, Minister for Women, Finance, Government Services and Public Service,

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Speaker 1: Katie Gallagher, really appreciate your time this morning. Thanks so much,

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Speaker 1: Thanks so much, Katie, Thank you