1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:03,080 Speaker 1: Joining me on the line right now. We have indeed 2 00:00:03,120 --> 00:00:07,240 Speaker 1: got the candidate for the Greens and that is Blair McFarlane. 3 00:00:07,320 --> 00:00:08,520 Speaker 1: Good morning to you. Blair. 4 00:00:09,720 --> 00:00:10,840 Speaker 2: Morning Katie. How are you going? 5 00:00:10,960 --> 00:00:13,920 Speaker 1: You're really good now, Blair, We've got about eight minutes 6 00:00:13,960 --> 00:00:17,400 Speaker 1: and a series of questions. Are you ready to get started? 7 00:00:18,200 --> 00:00:18,800 Speaker 2: I'm ready. 8 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:21,680 Speaker 1: Let's do it all right, Blair? First off, why do 9 00:00:21,720 --> 00:00:24,160 Speaker 1: you think you're the best person to represent the seat 10 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:24,880 Speaker 1: of Lingiari. 11 00:00:26,360 --> 00:00:29,480 Speaker 2: Well, if you think that Lingiari is having problems with 12 00:00:29,920 --> 00:00:35,720 Speaker 2: crime and youth, then I'm your man. Like, that's basically 13 00:00:35,720 --> 00:00:38,800 Speaker 2: that's my CV for the last forty years that I've 14 00:00:38,800 --> 00:00:42,640 Speaker 2: worked in those fields in Central Australia. So yeah, I 15 00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:45,000 Speaker 2: feel like I'm really well qualified to move in that 16 00:00:45,080 --> 00:00:48,519 Speaker 2: space if people think that's that's where the problem is. 17 00:00:49,240 --> 00:00:52,120 Speaker 1: So Blair, talk us through that. I mean, we know 18 00:00:52,200 --> 00:00:55,480 Speaker 1: that crime continues to be one of the biggest issues 19 00:00:55,520 --> 00:00:58,639 Speaker 1: across the Northern Territory. So if you are elected as 20 00:00:58,640 --> 00:01:00,560 Speaker 1: a federal member, how do you feel that the federal 21 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:05,160 Speaker 1: government could support the Northern Territory government on this really 22 00:01:05,200 --> 00:01:06,160 Speaker 1: serious issue. 23 00:01:07,480 --> 00:01:09,320 Speaker 2: Yeah. I've given it a lot of thought, as you 24 00:01:09,360 --> 00:01:11,520 Speaker 2: can imagine, because I've worked at the coll face of 25 00:01:11,640 --> 00:01:14,760 Speaker 2: crime since nineteen eighty six when I first moved here, 26 00:01:15,560 --> 00:01:18,480 Speaker 2: and I've seen a whole lot of programs come and go, 27 00:01:18,959 --> 00:01:21,920 Speaker 2: and over time, I guess I'm like just like a 28 00:01:21,959 --> 00:01:24,080 Speaker 2: plumber who's been a plumber for forty years, you know, 29 00:01:24,120 --> 00:01:26,040 Speaker 2: you sort of like look at things and see things 30 00:01:26,080 --> 00:01:30,319 Speaker 2: in a way that you know apprentices can't. And so 31 00:01:30,680 --> 00:01:34,920 Speaker 2: when I look at what's driving crime in the Northern Territory, 32 00:01:35,760 --> 00:01:42,440 Speaker 2: I see very poor federal government policy over generations, creating 33 00:01:42,440 --> 00:01:45,720 Speaker 2: a situation where there's a high proportion of the population 34 00:01:46,480 --> 00:01:51,880 Speaker 2: who are living in extreme poverty with nothing to lose 35 00:01:52,600 --> 00:01:56,480 Speaker 2: and very little reason to respect the white legal system. 36 00:01:57,600 --> 00:01:59,760 Speaker 1: And so through your experience, what do you reckon we 37 00:01:59,760 --> 00:02:00,840 Speaker 1: need to do differently? 38 00:02:02,160 --> 00:02:03,920 Speaker 2: This is where this is why I'm with the Greens, 39 00:02:03,920 --> 00:02:08,200 Speaker 2: because the Greens actually have some policies that address these issues. 40 00:02:08,200 --> 00:02:13,440 Speaker 2: And there are longer term ones like you know, developing 41 00:02:13,480 --> 00:02:15,959 Speaker 2: employment and all of that sort of stuff in remote 42 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:20,239 Speaker 2: communities and addressing the very poor educational and health outcomes, 43 00:02:20,280 --> 00:02:23,560 Speaker 2: But at what you can do really soon, And this 44 00:02:23,680 --> 00:02:26,040 Speaker 2: is what I'm always interested in. And it's not like 45 00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:29,320 Speaker 2: it's great to have long term goals, but people want 46 00:02:29,320 --> 00:02:30,600 Speaker 2: to know what they're going to how they're going to 47 00:02:30,600 --> 00:02:33,640 Speaker 2: deal with it like now, and one of them there 48 00:02:33,680 --> 00:02:35,360 Speaker 2: are ways you can deal with it now, and one 49 00:02:35,440 --> 00:02:38,720 Speaker 2: of those is Greens policy to increase Center Link payments. 50 00:02:39,280 --> 00:02:42,920 Speaker 2: At the moment, center Link is basically under the poverty line, 51 00:02:43,280 --> 00:02:46,959 Speaker 2: and so anybody who's on Center Link is living in poverty, 52 00:02:47,160 --> 00:02:50,399 Speaker 2: and poverty is the greatest driver of crime that ever 53 00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:54,760 Speaker 2: there was. Somebody once said, the law and its fairness 54 00:02:54,960 --> 00:02:58,360 Speaker 2: prosecutes rich and poor alike for begging for bread and 55 00:02:58,440 --> 00:02:59,520 Speaker 2: sleeping under bridges. 56 00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:05,480 Speaker 1: Blair in terms of obviously, you know, for some that 57 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:07,880 Speaker 1: are living below the poverty line. That is one thing 58 00:03:07,880 --> 00:03:09,760 Speaker 1: that the Greens are looking at doing and keen to 59 00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:12,200 Speaker 1: do when it comes to cost of living across the board. 60 00:03:12,240 --> 00:03:14,799 Speaker 1: I mean, even when you look at those who are 61 00:03:14,840 --> 00:03:19,600 Speaker 1: working and who are juggling mortgages, juggling rent all that 62 00:03:19,720 --> 00:03:22,920 Speaker 1: kind of thing, what do you think could be done 63 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:25,400 Speaker 1: to lower the cost of living for those in your 64 00:03:25,440 --> 00:03:28,400 Speaker 1: electorate or in your potentially in your electorate if elected. 65 00:03:30,240 --> 00:03:32,560 Speaker 2: Well, there are again, there are some really this is 66 00:03:32,560 --> 00:03:35,000 Speaker 2: a serious problem that's been coming for a while. The 67 00:03:35,040 --> 00:03:39,400 Speaker 2: basis of the cost of living problem is energy. Energy 68 00:03:39,480 --> 00:03:42,840 Speaker 2: has the cost of energy for every everything has tripled 69 00:03:42,920 --> 00:03:47,200 Speaker 2: in the last five seven years. It's like gas has 70 00:03:47,200 --> 00:03:50,560 Speaker 2: gone up by three hundred percent. Like that is the 71 00:03:50,640 --> 00:03:54,480 Speaker 2: underlying driver. Like everything costs more money because everything's built 72 00:03:54,480 --> 00:03:57,320 Speaker 2: on energy. The shops are more expensive because they've got 73 00:03:57,360 --> 00:03:59,920 Speaker 2: to ship things there. You know, planes are more expensive 74 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:03,160 Speaker 2: is they've got to pay more for airline fuel. You know, 75 00:04:03,240 --> 00:04:06,840 Speaker 2: driving around is more expensive. Everything, everything is more expensive 76 00:04:06,880 --> 00:04:10,680 Speaker 2: because of energy. And the Greens have some really good 77 00:04:10,880 --> 00:04:18,080 Speaker 2: long term energy plans to move off fossil fuels and 78 00:04:17,440 --> 00:04:20,679 Speaker 2: onto onto renewables, which are the cheapest form of energy. 79 00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:24,960 Speaker 2: All the research shows that since unfortunately we lost we 80 00:04:25,080 --> 00:04:28,200 Speaker 2: lost our solar edge and it went to China because 81 00:04:28,240 --> 00:04:31,719 Speaker 2: of very because of poor investment decisions made in Australia, 82 00:04:34,160 --> 00:04:36,440 Speaker 2: the price of solar panels and the price that that 83 00:04:36,480 --> 00:04:38,880 Speaker 2: sort of battery storage has been going down and down 84 00:04:38,880 --> 00:04:41,239 Speaker 2: and down. Now it is the cheapest form of energy 85 00:04:41,279 --> 00:04:44,440 Speaker 2: there is now. The fossil fuel companies are hanging on 86 00:04:44,480 --> 00:04:47,480 Speaker 2: to the subsidies, and they're hanging on hard because they 87 00:04:47,480 --> 00:04:49,680 Speaker 2: know at some point in the future, some very close 88 00:04:49,680 --> 00:04:52,240 Speaker 2: point in the future, nobody's going to want their stuff. 89 00:04:52,520 --> 00:04:54,760 Speaker 2: You know, it's it's a dye it's you know, it's 90 00:04:54,760 --> 00:04:58,640 Speaker 2: a dying it's a dying industry. But whilst whilst they're 91 00:04:58,680 --> 00:05:00,840 Speaker 2: there and whilst they have that enormous power, they're hanging 92 00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:03,720 Speaker 2: on as hard as they can. And that's what's pushing 93 00:05:03,800 --> 00:05:06,760 Speaker 2: up energy prices and so the cost of living. That's 94 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:09,080 Speaker 2: two components to it. There's that and there's also housing. 95 00:05:09,640 --> 00:05:12,279 Speaker 2: And housing is the reason we've got housing problems is 96 00:05:12,279 --> 00:05:15,320 Speaker 2: because the government dropped the ball about twenty years ago. 97 00:05:15,560 --> 00:05:18,160 Speaker 2: And like I grew up in a Housing Commission house, 98 00:05:18,320 --> 00:05:20,839 Speaker 2: I grew up in social housing and Baptist in the 99 00:05:20,880 --> 00:05:24,400 Speaker 2: sixties and at that stage the government was pumping out houses. 100 00:05:24,440 --> 00:05:27,480 Speaker 2: There are building houses for people all over the place, 101 00:05:27,960 --> 00:05:31,080 Speaker 2: but they haven't built any in any numbers for so 102 00:05:31,279 --> 00:05:34,320 Speaker 2: long that the existing housing stock is getting more and 103 00:05:34,360 --> 00:05:37,880 Speaker 2: more people squashed into it and it's degrading and the 104 00:05:38,040 --> 00:05:41,080 Speaker 2: price is going up and up. So that's another component 105 00:05:41,240 --> 00:05:43,520 Speaker 2: of the cost of living is housing. The rent that 106 00:05:43,560 --> 00:05:47,520 Speaker 2: people pay. It's just it's absurdly high. And there are 107 00:05:47,520 --> 00:05:49,279 Speaker 2: a number of other strategies I can talk about, but 108 00:05:49,360 --> 00:05:51,800 Speaker 2: that's they're the two reasons, and they're the two ways 109 00:05:51,800 --> 00:05:52,800 Speaker 2: that Greens would address it. 110 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:58,960 Speaker 1: But infrastructure is something that our other candidate lisese but 111 00:05:59,160 --> 00:06:02,360 Speaker 1: just raised, you know, roads and connectivity when it comes 112 00:06:02,440 --> 00:06:05,359 Speaker 1: to some of our more remote areas. What do you 113 00:06:05,400 --> 00:06:07,520 Speaker 1: think needs to happen when it comes to infrastructure and 114 00:06:07,560 --> 00:06:09,040 Speaker 1: the seat of LINGIAI. 115 00:06:11,960 --> 00:06:14,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, Like the roads down here are complete disgrace. Like 116 00:06:15,839 --> 00:06:18,000 Speaker 2: a lot of you know, even now after the rain 117 00:06:18,040 --> 00:06:20,800 Speaker 2: that we've just recently had, there are a lot of 118 00:06:21,680 --> 00:06:24,440 Speaker 2: roads going out into the communities are impassible, and so 119 00:06:24,520 --> 00:06:27,160 Speaker 2: people get stuck in town and and they're sort of 120 00:06:27,200 --> 00:06:30,720 Speaker 2: you know, they're basically homeless. There's all these people who 121 00:06:30,720 --> 00:06:32,920 Speaker 2: are sort of stuck in town, are homeless and creating 122 00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:36,040 Speaker 2: a sort of real drag on their relations. How you 123 00:06:36,240 --> 00:06:40,400 Speaker 2: definitely need better roads, but also we need to address 124 00:06:40,440 --> 00:06:44,680 Speaker 2: the cost of flights. Like it seems to me that 125 00:06:44,720 --> 00:06:48,359 Speaker 2: somebody in Parliament who could negotiate without all of the 126 00:06:48,360 --> 00:06:50,839 Speaker 2: sort of baggage of the major parties in relation to 127 00:06:50,920 --> 00:06:53,839 Speaker 2: quantas could sort of like play that card. Well, you know, 128 00:06:53,880 --> 00:06:57,920 Speaker 2: we gave you millions and millions of dollars recently during 129 00:06:58,000 --> 00:07:01,159 Speaker 2: COVID for job Keeper, and and you just turned around 130 00:07:01,160 --> 00:07:03,200 Speaker 2: and sort of like gave that away, div it in 131 00:07:03,839 --> 00:07:06,920 Speaker 2: to your shareholders, like you know, you've got to come 132 00:07:06,960 --> 00:07:13,400 Speaker 2: to the party and provide subsidized, fair, subsidized flights all 133 00:07:13,520 --> 00:07:16,760 Speaker 2: over Australia. To give up on the commercial model where yeah, 134 00:07:16,760 --> 00:07:19,720 Speaker 2: we'll make these cheap here because because there's lots of 135 00:07:19,880 --> 00:07:22,600 Speaker 2: lots of people going back and supports booing Melbourne and Sydney. 136 00:07:22,840 --> 00:07:25,320 Speaker 2: But we'll make these ones up up through the center, 137 00:07:25,480 --> 00:07:28,200 Speaker 2: you know, we'll make them really expensive. And that's that's 138 00:07:28,480 --> 00:07:30,560 Speaker 2: an economic model. That's a business model, but it's not 139 00:07:30,600 --> 00:07:33,680 Speaker 2: a fair model. It should be the same all over Australia. 140 00:07:33,760 --> 00:07:37,240 Speaker 2: Flights should should be subsidized so that everybody pays a 141 00:07:37,240 --> 00:07:40,600 Speaker 2: fair amount for the access to that national service. 142 00:07:41,160 --> 00:07:44,080 Speaker 1: Clair, we've only got about forty seconds left and I 143 00:07:44,160 --> 00:07:47,640 Speaker 1: do want to ask you, how are you going to 144 00:07:47,800 --> 00:07:50,920 Speaker 1: ensure the voices of Territorians are heard if you are 145 00:07:50,960 --> 00:07:54,880 Speaker 1: elected and if you do become the Member for LINGII. 146 00:07:55,720 --> 00:07:58,560 Speaker 2: Well, this this is a unique opportunity to do it. 147 00:07:58,560 --> 00:08:00,720 Speaker 2: It's unique and two levels. One because we are looking 148 00:08:00,760 --> 00:08:02,920 Speaker 2: at a hung parliament and this is a time when 149 00:08:02,960 --> 00:08:06,480 Speaker 2: independence and minor parties like the Greens will have vastly 150 00:08:06,520 --> 00:08:09,960 Speaker 2: more leverage than you have when one party has all 151 00:08:09,960 --> 00:08:12,320 Speaker 2: the cards, which is what it's been for most of 152 00:08:12,440 --> 00:08:15,600 Speaker 2: most of the history of Australia. So this is definitely 153 00:08:15,640 --> 00:08:18,640 Speaker 2: a time when the voices of territorians could definitely be 154 00:08:18,720 --> 00:08:21,360 Speaker 2: heard as long as as long as it was you know, 155 00:08:21,960 --> 00:08:25,040 Speaker 2: a minor party or an independent and not so. Yep, 156 00:08:25,120 --> 00:08:26,200 Speaker 2: that's my time here, That. 157 00:08:26,280 --> 00:08:28,960 Speaker 1: Is your time. Hey, very quick one. Where are your 158 00:08:28,960 --> 00:08:29,880 Speaker 1: preferences going to go? 159 00:08:29,920 --> 00:08:33,920 Speaker 2: If you decided no, the Greens decide that, I'm pretty 160 00:08:33,920 --> 00:08:36,160 Speaker 2: sure the coalition would be very close to the bottom. 161 00:08:36,720 --> 00:08:39,240 Speaker 1: All right. Well, Blair McFarland, good to speak with you 162 00:08:39,280 --> 00:08:41,000 Speaker 1: this morning. Really appreciate your time. 163 00:08:41,240 --> 00:08:43,040 Speaker 2: Yeah, thanks, thank you, No worries. 164 00:08:43,080 --> 00:08:43,280 Speaker 1: Thanks