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Speaker 1: Yesterday, the Education Minister Evil Laula announced a new mobile

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Speaker 1: phone policy that would be in place as of.

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Speaker 2: Day one Term one next year.

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Speaker 1: The government says the new mobile phone policy strives to

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Speaker 1: strike a balance between harnessing the educational value of mobile

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Speaker 1: devices and the risk of distraction or social harm through

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Speaker 1: their misuse. The policy is going to preclude private use

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Speaker 1: of devices throughout the school day, including recess and lunch breaks,

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Speaker 1: and students must keep their devices turned off. Now joining

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Speaker 1: me on the line to tell us more about the

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Speaker 1: ban is the Minister for Education Eva Laula.

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Speaker 2: Good morning to your minister.

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Speaker 3: Good morning Katie.

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Speaker 2: Now why was this change made?

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Speaker 3: Pretty much, I think nearly every conversation I've had since

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Speaker 3: I've returned as Education Minister at some stage got to

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Speaker 3: the conversation led to the disruptions of mobile phones, the

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Speaker 3: hassle's mobile phones were causing. So, whether that was talking

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Speaker 3: to Council of Government, schools organizations, so the parent organization,

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Speaker 3: whether that was talking to principals, teachers and parents as well.

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Speaker 3: So it became a constant where people were saying, you know,

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Speaker 3: the problems that the mobile phones were causing. So whether

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Speaker 3: that was you know, teachers saying the disruption to learning,

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Speaker 3: whether it was parents saying, you know, the bullying that

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Speaker 3: they and the things that they saw with their own

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Speaker 3: children that upset them. So it really was around you know,

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Speaker 3: seeing their kids in having phones in front of them,

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Speaker 3: you know, day in, day out almost and saying, you know,

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Speaker 3: they contribute of his mobile phones attribute to conflict. You know,

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Speaker 3: our kids are saturated in technology.

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Speaker 1: You know.

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Speaker 3: It was all those sorts of conversations, and so it

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Speaker 3: was like I did some research, We had conversations with

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Speaker 3: the department, I had conversations with some principles, We talked

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Speaker 3: to a few people, lots of people really about it,

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Speaker 3: and it was like, well, other states have done this.

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Speaker 3: WA did it in twenty twenty they banned phones from schools.

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Speaker 3: So I think it was the sensible solution, that was

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Speaker 3: the right policy position to do. And so I had

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Speaker 3: the leaders forum yesday, the Leader's Summit, so all the

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Speaker 3: principles in the territory get together for two days for

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Speaker 3: professional development. So I thought that was the opportune time

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Speaker 3: when I had every principle in the room to be

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Speaker 3: able to say this is what we're going to do, and.

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Speaker 1: From what I can gather it has received widespread support.

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Speaker 1: You know, I'm a parent. Obviously my kids are quite young.

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Speaker 1: They're not taking mobile phones to school, but there is

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Speaker 1: a lot of discussion about the misuse of those mobile phones.

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Speaker 1: I mean, you don't have to look too far on

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Speaker 1: social media to see sort of just how badly those

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Speaker 1: phones are being misused. There's been vision go around at

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Speaker 1: different times of fights being filmed at lunchtime and various

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Speaker 1: other things. Minister, were there any particular incidents that had

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Speaker 1: occurred that really made you go, you know what, we've

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Speaker 1: got to make a change here.

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Speaker 3: No, I mean the conversations when I heard that kids

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Speaker 3: were making tiktoks at lunchtime, you know, interviewing teachers, you know,

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Speaker 3: all of those sorts of things. You're realizing that it's

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Speaker 3: actually gone too far, and your teachers constantly having to

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Speaker 3: talk to kids in classroom about putting away their phone.

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Speaker 3: You know, the stories around bullying, and I think we

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Speaker 3: all know the story around Dolly. That issue of bullying

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Speaker 3: as well, was you know, one of the extreme examples.

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Speaker 3: So it really was though that I call it a

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Speaker 3: saturation in technology. I mean, it was lots of things, Katie.

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Speaker 3: It wasn't actually one thing it really is. I think

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Speaker 3: we need we need our kids to be focused, We

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Speaker 3: need our kids to be learning. You know, a lot

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Speaker 3: of our kids are a long way behind in their learning.

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Speaker 3: To me, anything that we can do to reduce the disruptions.

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Speaker 3: This is a society we live in. We know that.

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Speaker 3: But I think if we can have those hours between

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Speaker 3: you know, eight and two thirty when kids are at

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Speaker 3: school where they're focused on their learning, they're talking to

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Speaker 3: their friends, at least we're not seeing kids getting those

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Speaker 3: spending their time on their mobile phone.

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Speaker 2: How exactly is it going to work?

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Speaker 1: How are you going to you know, how is it

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Speaker 1: going to be implemented and rolled out across the schools?

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Speaker 3: So yeah, so as of today, I mean that was

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Speaker 3: the conversations. That was good to be able to talk

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Speaker 3: to all the principles in one place. The department will

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Speaker 3: work on putting out a policy, you know, all the collateral,

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Speaker 3: all the information that goes with that, so every single

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Speaker 3: school has that information. We do need to work with

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Speaker 3: parents around that. So I'll meet with cogso to make

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Speaker 3: sure the parent organization is really clear around what we do.

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Speaker 3: But you know, schools introduce you have rules in their

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Speaker 3: school all the time, whether it's about banning something else

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Speaker 3: or what they do. So then it will be up

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Speaker 3: to the individual schools and teachers to manage that and

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Speaker 3: what will need.

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Speaker 1: To be what will happen if a kid does turn

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Speaker 1: up with a mobile phone and they're not supposed to.

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Speaker 3: Well, I mean all those things are up to the school.

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Speaker 3: But I mean they as we know with schools around

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Speaker 3: any other behaviors, you see some kids who are very

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Speaker 3: compliant and do the right things, and always there's some

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Speaker 3: that don't. So they will have in place, I'm sure

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Speaker 3: some really clear directions around you know, the first time

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Speaker 3: it's a warning, the second time it might be you know,

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Speaker 3: some time out or you know, detention or whatever else

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Speaker 3: that school uses to manage kids' behavior. And that you know,

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Speaker 3: the next level might be ringing a parent and them

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Speaker 3: coming and taking the phone home. You know, there's the

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Speaker 3: schools manage whatever it is, whether that's smoking, vaping, fighting,

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Speaker 3: any of those behaviors. Schools manage those. So the department

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Speaker 3: will work with their regional directors who manage all our schools,

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Speaker 3: and they'll work with the principle and.

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Speaker 1: Do you reckon, I mean there has been some discussion

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Speaker 1: about whether there should be more education within our schools

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Speaker 1: as well about the way in which kids treat each

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Speaker 1: other when they are online, and that's cyber bullying. Is

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Speaker 1: that something that's happening already or do you think we

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Speaker 1: need to see a bit more of that so it does.

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Speaker 3: Happen like there is truly is there is a lot

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Speaker 3: of work around cyber bullying those you know, across our schools.

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Speaker 3: But I think it's one that we just have to

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Speaker 3: constantly keep reminding young people about, because yeah, some of

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Speaker 3: our nicest kids turning to trolls when they get online

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Speaker 3: is a it's horrifying to see. And I mean, I've

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Speaker 3: my children are much older, but I know mine. I've

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Speaker 3: got three nieces who've only recently finished school and some

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Speaker 3: of the things that I see, and you know, because

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Speaker 3: I'm friends with them on Instagram or Facebook or TikTok

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Speaker 3: or whatever else it is, and yeah, it is, you know,

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Speaker 3: I often have to remind around behaviors and yeah, I

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Speaker 3: think it's become a big issue in our school. Well,

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Speaker 3: I know it's become a big issue in our school.

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Speaker 3: So very happy to be the minister that's banned it.

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Speaker 3: Of course, like anything, will evaluate that in twelve months

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Speaker 3: time or so see how it's all gone. But really

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Speaker 3: it is about making sure our kids actually yet put

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Speaker 3: away their phones and what.

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Speaker 2: They're supposed to do at school. You know, this is

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Speaker 2: the thing.

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Speaker 1: At the end of the day, we don't actually want

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Speaker 1: our kids making tiktoks. We don't want you know, like

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Speaker 1: fair enough if they're doing that outside of school hours.

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Speaker 1: But the last thing you want to see is videos

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Speaker 1: then of kids fighting and doing different things that they

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Speaker 1: shouldn't be doing, and you know it plastered all over

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Speaker 1: social media.

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Speaker 3: Oh and as you say, nasty things said about her,

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Speaker 3: you know, another girl that's their class, and taking photos

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Speaker 3: of that and sharing those photos and just saying, you know,

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Speaker 3: really nasty things that most people wouldn't even say to

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Speaker 3: somebody's face, but happy to say it. So that the

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Speaker 3: line is phones off and away all day. And we'll

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Speaker 3: be reminding between now and the start of the school year,

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Speaker 3: reminding parents around that. I hope parents get behind us

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Speaker 3: and support us around this initiative.

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Speaker 1: Well look, I think it's a good call. I think

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Speaker 1: the government's done the right thing in this space. And

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Speaker 1: I do like the fact as well that it is

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Speaker 1: going to be something that you'll assess. So if you

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Speaker 1: find that it's not working well, some other actions can

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Speaker 1: be taken. But Minister, let's move along because we know that.

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Speaker 1: Yesterday there has been some concerns raised about taxi services

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Speaker 1: around the Northern Territory. They say they want urgent changes

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Speaker 1: to keep vehicles on the road. The Blue Taxi company

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Speaker 1: manager Helen Paschos, said that his issues including fuel prices,

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Speaker 1: competition from ride share companies, drivers shortages, and government regulation.

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Speaker 1: We're hitting passengers and operators. Here's a little bit of

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Speaker 1: what Helena had to tell us yesterday on the show.

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Speaker 4: The government regulates for fairs and for the government to

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Speaker 4: flatly refuse to listen and to up the meat and

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Speaker 4: feed for the driver, that to us is unfair, makes

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Speaker 4: it anti competitive, and it gives consumers a choice. Let

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Speaker 4: them decide whether they want to pay the three dollars

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Speaker 4: extra and have a taxi industry. Is it fair now

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Speaker 4: that all these people are being strangded and not having

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Speaker 4: a service.

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Speaker 1: That's the alternity, Minister, how do you respond to those comments? So?

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Speaker 3: I think the taxi industry, like our buses, but like

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Speaker 3: probably all industries across the territory or across Australia at

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Speaker 3: the moment are experiencing lack of employees. So the taxi

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Speaker 3: industry is finding it really hard to get drivers. Same

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Speaker 3: with buses, same with diesel mechanics, truck drivers or even

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Speaker 3: you know, all of our industries are finding that really hard.

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Speaker 3: So that is one of the issues is around making

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Speaker 3: sure that we have enough taxi drivers. Uber has come in.

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Speaker 3: Uber's been a disruption that's come in that's worldwide. That's

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Speaker 3: not going to change. People are making a choice around

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Speaker 3: using taxis or Uber. It's just like people make a

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Speaker 3: choice around a hotel or airbnb. So there are those

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Speaker 3: disruptions to an industry that has been an industry or

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Speaker 3: a taxi industry has been around probably hundreds of year,

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Speaker 3: one hundred years or so. So there is a disruption

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Speaker 3: that they've found hard. But the government did do a

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Speaker 3: Commercial Passenger Vehicle Review and now there is a steering

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Speaker 3: committee that there's a reference group that meet regularly where

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Speaker 3: we listen to the issues of the taxi industry and

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Speaker 3: we continue to try and address those issues well.

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Speaker 1: And look Uber and the driver's shortage or obviously things

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Speaker 1: that the government can't control, but things like that fair increase. Well,

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Speaker 1: that's something that the government can actually control and can

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Speaker 1: help with. It's the same as the regulation. Are you

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Speaker 1: meeting with the taxi companies about this? My understanding is

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Speaker 1: that they've got a full consensus here, like they're in

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Speaker 1: agreement on what they think needs to happen, but they're

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Speaker 1: struggling to have you guys sit down at the table

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Speaker 1: with them and make this happen.

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Speaker 3: So the fair increase was one that they were demanding.

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Speaker 3: The tax industry was demanding at a paying an increase

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Speaker 3: of I think it was around thirty percent, So you know,

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Speaker 3: we didn't believe that was feasible, so we came up

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Speaker 3: with what we thought was a reasonable position for the industry.

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Speaker 3: But we truly do meet with them. There is, as

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Speaker 3: I said, this steering group that meets regularly. All those

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Speaker 3: meetings are minuted, there's actions there, there's opportunities for people

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Speaker 3: to have a say around the industry. We know it

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Speaker 3: is a difficult industry and we continue to work with them.

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Speaker 3: As I said, there are so many the recommendations are

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Speaker 3: being implemented, but there are lots of discussions around those,

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Speaker 3: and will continue to work with the industry one of

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Speaker 3: the ones that we that came up in that was

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Speaker 3: not enough taxis for people with disabilities. So we've put

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Speaker 3: in place a scheme where, you know, to encourage the

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Speaker 3: uptake of those multi purpose taxis that there's a grand

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Speaker 3: of fifteen thousand dollars for people to be able to

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Speaker 3: you know, to be able to if you're an eligible operator,

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Speaker 3: to be able to accommodate a wheelchair. So we've done

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Speaker 3: lots of work in this area. Will continue to have

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Speaker 3: those meetings with the taxi industry, but it is an

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Speaker 3: industry that's hurting at the moment.

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Speaker 1: I understand that a minister, they are hurting, and you know,

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Speaker 1: as you pointed out, obviously Uber's been a huge disruption

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Speaker 1: to them. You know, we know that there is a

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Speaker 1: workforce shortage. But if they are saying that they need

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Speaker 1: a fair increase, and they're saying to you right now,

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Speaker 1: we need that fair increase so that we can stay

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Speaker 1: operating and that we can actually try to entice drivers

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Speaker 1: and you know, keep up our standards because they are

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Speaker 1: regulated unlike the likes of Uber. You know, why not

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Speaker 1: sort of come to some kind of compromise so that

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Speaker 1: we're able to keep them going because I guess the

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Speaker 1: risk here is that the taxi industry ends up decimated.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, so there has been. Yeah, so there has been

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Speaker 3: a tariff increase, So there has been. The issue was

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Speaker 3: it wasn't as much as the taxi industry wanted. So

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Speaker 3: the taxi industed industry wanted the thirty percent increase. The

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Speaker 3: Northern Territory government gave an increase and I think it

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Speaker 3: was about seven and a half percent increase. So that's

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Speaker 3: the issue is around what the increase was. So so

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Speaker 3: preted to sit.

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Speaker 1: Back down at the table with some if that increase,

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Speaker 1: if they're saying it's not enough, but you guys feel

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Speaker 1: as though that's seven percent is enough. Are you prepared

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Speaker 1: to sit back down at the table with them and renegotiate.

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Speaker 3: Well, you know, what we have to take into account though,

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Speaker 3: is also the users, you know, So it's not from

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Speaker 3: a government point of view. It's not just looking at

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Speaker 3: the industry. We also have to actually think of the

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Speaker 3: people who are using taxis and make sure that it's

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Speaker 3: fair for them. So it is a difficult position to

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Speaker 3: be in as a government around fares, but you know,

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Speaker 3: I think that's what we need to be able to

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Speaker 3: do is really look at both sides of this.

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Speaker 2: Well, I mean, wouldn't it be a consumer's choice?

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Speaker 3: We're happy.

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Speaker 1: I mean if it does get too expensive, shouldn't it

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Speaker 1: be then a consumer's choice? And I guess that was

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Speaker 1: what Helen was saying on the show yes andday. Look,

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Speaker 1: I'm not a regular taxi user, but we were called

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Speaker 1: yesterday by people who are regular taxi users, and some

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Speaker 1: were saying, you know, they actually don't mind paying a

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Speaker 1: little bit more if it means that they're actually able

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Speaker 1: to get a taxi.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, so it's going to be seven point nine percent

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Speaker 3: is the increase. So that was the I said, it's

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Speaker 3: a bit like I guess an EBA discussion. Really they

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Speaker 3: wanted thirty percent, we said, we said it at seven

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Speaker 3: point nine percent, which you know, was looking at CPI,

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Speaker 3: looking at all of those issues, we thought that was

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Speaker 3: a fair amount. But as I said, some of these

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Speaker 3: issues that the taxi industry are experiencing are things that

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Speaker 3: are global, like as I said, worker shortage. But you know,

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Speaker 3: some of those actions are also being resolved by the

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Speaker 3: federal government. You know, nine and I think it's nine

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Speaker 3: hundred and fifty thousand migrants are coming into Australia, you know,

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Speaker 3: with the affordability, bringing more houses online so that we

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Speaker 3: can have more migrants here who are often, let's face it,

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Speaker 3: the people who are the ones that are driving our taxi.

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Speaker 3: So yes, they wanted thirty percent. The government, you know,

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Speaker 3: as I said, looked very carefully at that. It's seven

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Speaker 3: point nine percent. But some of these issues around fuel prices,

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Speaker 3: some of these issues around drivers are ones that are

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Speaker 3: bigger than just the Northern Territory.

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Speaker 1: And so at this point in time, there isn't going

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Speaker 1: to be any sort of change in this space.

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Speaker 2: It is going to be business as usual.

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Speaker 3: So we, as I said, there is a price increase

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Speaker 3: to seven point nine percent, which is a you know,

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Speaker 3: a fair increase, well fair fair increase, and we thought

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Speaker 3: that was a reasonable one. It's not. It's not going

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Speaker 3: to thirty percent. That's that's you know, that's been taken

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Speaker 3: off the table. It's seven point nine percent. But we

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Speaker 3: do continue to meet with the taxi industry. There are

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Speaker 3: formal meetings. There are, as I said, a steering committee

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Speaker 3: where people meet and go through the recommendations, implement the

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Speaker 3: recommendations and talk about what the issues are for that industry.

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Speaker 1: Right Minister, I am going to move along because there

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Speaker 1: is quite a bit happening around the place, and we

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Speaker 1: know that the federal budget obviously a massive infrastructure has

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Speaker 1: been flagged for the Northern Territory. You are the Minister

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Speaker 1: for infrastructure here in the territory. Two point five billion dollars,

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Speaker 1: When do you anticipate that work is going to get

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Speaker 1: underway on some of these projects?

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Speaker 3: So most of these projects of work is already underway.

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Speaker 3: So the one point five billion for Middle Arm, there's

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Speaker 3: already the Northern Territory government put I think was about

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Speaker 3: nineteen million into the budget this year of our own

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Speaker 3: money to start the work there, and I mean not

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Speaker 3: even to start. We'd already we're doing those assessments. So

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Speaker 3: you know, there's been about two hundred assessments done, so

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Speaker 3: that the planning, the design, all of those sorts of

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Speaker 3: work is already underway. The same with the Regional Logistics Hubs.

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Speaker 3: Those projects we'd put I think thirty million into Catherine,

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Speaker 3: so that works underway. The same with the Tanami, the

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Speaker 3: Central Artum roads. So pretty much all of the projects

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Speaker 3: that have got dollars were already underway. They had some

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Speaker 3: dollars from the federal government or from us. They're important projects.

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Speaker 3: So the work is already rolling.

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Speaker 2: Through now we know that.

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Speaker 1: I mean you've just touched on this, even with the

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Speaker 1: taxi industry, that workforce shortage. Have you got any concerns

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Speaker 1: around delivering some of these projects and that work force shortage.

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Speaker 3: So with the most of the roads, we have about

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Speaker 3: five really big local companies, family companies who do our

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Speaker 3: civil work in the territory. We have a good spread

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Speaker 3: across the territory. Some are based in Central Australia, some

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Speaker 3: are based up here in Darwin. So no, not around

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Speaker 3: the roads. As I said, we have good people who

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Speaker 3: are delivering great projects for us around the roads. Some

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Speaker 3: of the other construction work, yes, you know we're always

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Speaker 3: they're always looking for new employees and that's work that's constant.

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Speaker 3: But you know that's the reality across Australia around making

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Speaker 3: sure that we have people. Some of the other issues

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Speaker 3: have been around supply chains and the cost that we're

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Speaker 3: seeing around you know, increases in cement, increases in steel prices.

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Speaker 3: But no, we feel that, you know, we've got the

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Speaker 3: workforce that we can keep moving on these projects.

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Speaker 1: Minister, give us a bit of an update on Tiger Brennan.

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Speaker 1: I know that there is quite a bit happening at

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Speaker 1: the moment.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, so a fabulous Northern Territory company, Sitzler long Term

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Speaker 3: Territory Company, are really plowing ahead with that. I drive

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Speaker 3: past every day and I jokingly say I sort of

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Speaker 3: project management manage it from the window of my car.

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Speaker 3: But it is going to be amazing. So if you

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Speaker 3: come down Verrama Road you'll be going over the top.

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Speaker 3: If you're driving between Darwin and Palmeersan, you'll just flow

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Speaker 3: through straight through there, so it'll take away those traffic lights.

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Speaker 3: But we're going to see an increase in traffic coming

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Speaker 3: out of East Ham once the ship lifts there. So

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Speaker 3: it is about how terrible that intersection has been. It's

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Speaker 3: our busiest intersection. It has been quite unsafe, but it

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Speaker 3: was also about the priest that we're going to see

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Speaker 3: coming out of Eastaham. So yeah, going really well and

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Speaker 3: hope it hopes to be opened by about July twenty

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Speaker 3: twenty four.

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Speaker 1: Well Eva Laula, the Minister for Education as well as

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Speaker 1: Infrastructure Planning and Logistics and well Transport and the Treasurer.

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Speaker 1: Lots of portfolios, lots of hats. We always appreciate your time.

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Speaker 2: Thank you, thank you very much.