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Speaker 1: Well, as we now know, Australia's second largest private hospital

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Speaker 1: operator is in administration after Lender's swooped to secure they're

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Speaker 1: one point four billion dollars in debt. So what we

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Speaker 1: also know is that that nurses, doctors, employees at all

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Speaker 1: of those private health hospitals covered bill. They're covered obviously

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Speaker 1: by private health, by that private health fund. Health Scope

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Speaker 1: obviously feeling pretty worried this morning. We have had assurances,

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Speaker 1: certainly health Scope has made assurances that they will indeed

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Speaker 1: continue to operate, but nonetheless there is a lot of

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Speaker 1: concern around the place this morning. And joining us on

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Speaker 1: the line to talk a little bit more about the

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Speaker 1: situation is the health Minister, the Northern Territory Health Minister,

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Speaker 1: Steve Edgington. Good morning to you.

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Speaker 2: Listens.

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Speaker 1: Steve, tell us what is the situation from your perspective

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Speaker 1: at this point in time. I understand that there have

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Speaker 1: been briefings yesterday and a lot of people wondering this

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Speaker 1: morning what exactly is this going to mean for Darwin

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Speaker 1: private Hospital.

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Speaker 2: Well, at the moment, Katie, like everybody, I'm extremely disappointed,

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Speaker 2: frustrated around where things have ended up with Healthscope. We've

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Speaker 2: seen the pathway being advised late last year, final decisions

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Speaker 2: being made in February to cut out maternity, and here

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Speaker 2: we are today with the announcement yesterday of Healthscope essentially

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Speaker 2: going into part receivership, part administration. This is extremely disappointing

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Speaker 2: and I can understand the frustration of many territories this morning.

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Speaker 1: Absolutely so from a real operational perspective. What is this

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Speaker 1: going to mean? Minister? They are saying that they're going

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Speaker 1: to continue to operate, but I know that there's already

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Speaker 1: been concerns raised by the likes of the AMA that

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Speaker 1: we could see surgeries delay, we could see all sorts

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Speaker 1: of changes as a result of this.

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Speaker 2: Look when it was raised with me, it was flagged

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Speaker 2: on Friday. I've spoken now directly with Healthscope and very

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Speaker 2: similar to their media release, they've given me the reassurance

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Speaker 2: that it's business as usual. And you know when they

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Speaker 2: say that it's business as usual, what they're saying is

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Speaker 2: that there will be no change when it comes to

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Speaker 2: their normal program of surgery and delivering those private services.

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Speaker 1: Do you trust them? Do you trust the Minister?

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Speaker 2: Well, look, this is I can only take it on

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Speaker 2: the word that I got from the Healthscope official that

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Speaker 2: I spoke to. They've publicly put out a media release.

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Speaker 2: I sought that reassurance and that's what I've been told.

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Speaker 2: But look, I'm as concerned as everybody else. But what

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Speaker 2: I've got at the moment is Healthscope telling us and

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Speaker 2: certainly through the not only the media release but the

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Speaker 2: announcement from the administrator and the receivers, it does look

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Speaker 2: like business as usual. But look, I'm very concerned and

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Speaker 2: given the state of things right across Australia, it's effect

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Speaker 2: in thirty seven hospitals across Australia and no doubt all

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Speaker 2: of the staff are particularly worried. So I think the

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Speaker 2: best outcome would be what I'd like to see as

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Speaker 2: a new provider come in, take over and start delivering

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Speaker 2: the services at territories expect.

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Speaker 1: Have you had discussions at this point in time with

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Speaker 1: the Federal Health Minister. I know that you know health

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Speaker 1: Scope saying that things are going to operate as usual,

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Speaker 1: but I would think that health ministers from right around Australia,

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Speaker 1: yourself included, and indeed the Federal Health Minister, must be

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Speaker 1: wondering if this is indeed going to have an impact

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Speaker 1: on our public health system.

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Speaker 2: That's exactly the question that's before everybody at the moment.

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Speaker 2: Cadie so today and I spoke with Minister Butler yesterday

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Speaker 2: to talk to him about the announcement around Healthscope. He's

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Speaker 2: had the very same information and during our conversation he

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Speaker 2: reassured me that his conversations have been the same as mine,

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Speaker 2: that it is business as usual today all health ministers

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Speaker 2: from around the country will be meeting with our federal

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Speaker 2: minister to talk about this very issue. So we'll be

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Speaker 2: meeting I think just after midday, and because this is

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Speaker 2: the agenda item, we want to get to the bottom

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Speaker 2: of it. But what we want to do is make

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Speaker 2: sure that you know my focus. My focus for the

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Speaker 2: Territorians is that I want to ensure that Territorians have

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Speaker 2: a private model here so that they have a choice

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Speaker 2: on where they would like to go for their medical

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Speaker 2: and health service. I mean that means that means having

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Speaker 2: a private provider here in the territory.

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Speaker 1: Does there also need to be a discussion, Like absolutely

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Speaker 1: that needs to happen, but does there also need to

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Speaker 1: be a discussion about who that private provider is? I mean,

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Speaker 1: we may indeed wind up again with some you know,

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Speaker 1: with a company or with a multinational that's based in

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Speaker 1: another country and that really you know, is all about

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Speaker 1: profit rather than making sure that they're providing that service.

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Speaker 2: Look, I've got no doubt this will be part of

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Speaker 2: our discuss today is that what we want to ensure

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Speaker 2: moving forward is that we have a private provider that

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Speaker 2: is going to be here for the long term and

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Speaker 2: providing the very best possible health services for Territorians. So

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Speaker 2: this will be no doubt a feature of our discussion today.

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Speaker 2: But look, I'm of the very same opinion that we

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Speaker 2: need to be very mindful if there is a change

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Speaker 2: in provider, we want to make sure that that provider

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Speaker 2: is here for the long term and providing the very

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Speaker 2: best services for Territorians. And that's where I'm coming from

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Speaker 2: in today's meeting.

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Speaker 1: So a meeting today with all of the health ministers

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Speaker 1: and indeed the federal Health Minister in terms of you know,

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Speaker 1: the what ifs, and I know that ministers never like

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Speaker 1: to sort of delve into those what is but what

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Speaker 1: happens if the hospital does fall over? I mean, are

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Speaker 1: there some plans in place? Are you going to be

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Speaker 1: ramping up services within the Northern territories public hospitals if

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Speaker 1: we do start to see maybe not the hospital fall

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Speaker 1: over in time, but a cutting back of some of

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Speaker 1: the services which they previously delivered.

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Speaker 2: Look, it's a good question. We've certainly had discussions, and

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Speaker 2: I've had those conversations with the chief executive in Nptyhealth.

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Speaker 2: We do need to plan for the worst. But at

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Speaker 2: this stage, the information we have in front of us

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Speaker 2: is that it will be business as usual. And yes,

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Speaker 2: should it fall over all together, then it's going to

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Speaker 2: put enormous pressure on the territory health system. So we

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Speaker 2: are certainly mindful of that. We are looking at what

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Speaker 2: contingencies we can put in place. But at the moment,

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Speaker 2: we have information in front of us, and you know,

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Speaker 2: I'll be holding Healthscope to that agreement. They said that

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Speaker 2: we'll be services delivery and at this stage there's nothing

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Speaker 2: to indicate otherwise.

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Speaker 1: I mean, how can we hold them to it? Though?

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Speaker 1: If the fact is, I suppose if they're going, if

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Speaker 1: they're not able to operate, or if they get to

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Speaker 1: a point where they're not able to is there a

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Speaker 1: situation where a government or the federal government can actually

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Speaker 1: force them to.

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Speaker 2: Look, I'm not aware of the particulars around that. But

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Speaker 2: all of these issues, Katie, will be discussed today and

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Speaker 2: we'll be in a stronger position after we've met. As

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Speaker 2: ministers from around the country meet with the federal minister.

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Speaker 2: We'll be talking about a range of issues and no

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Speaker 2: doubt to contingencies. What can be done, what can't be done.

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Speaker 2: That'll be the point of discussion today.

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Speaker 1: Minister. Last time you and I spoke, I know that

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Speaker 1: you had certainly like we've spoken quite extensively about maternity

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Speaker 1: services at the Darwin Private Hospital. Obviously this situation is

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Speaker 1: bigger now, but at that time you've written to the

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Speaker 1: Federal Health Minister. Luke Gosling, the Member for Solomon, then

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Speaker 1: told us the proposal that you'd sent to the Federal

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Speaker 1: Health Minister really wasn't up to scratch. I mean they're

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Speaker 1: hit like that was his words.

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Speaker 2: Not mine.

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Speaker 1: Where are things at now though, with this situation with

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Speaker 1: the maternity services in terms of the funding requests that

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Speaker 1: you had put in.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, look, look I don't give much credibility to Luke Gosling.

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Speaker 2: You know, this is the guy that has sat on

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Speaker 2: the sidelines for the last few months and raised nothing

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Speaker 2: about Hellscope at all. He even told us at one

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Speaker 2: stage he was going to be a minister, he was

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Speaker 2: going to buy the portback, he was going to delivererality.

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Speaker 2: So I don't give the guy much credibility. But those

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Speaker 2: conversations regarding the thirty five million are ongoing. And as

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Speaker 2: I said, the thirty five million dollars that we're looking

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Speaker 2: for is to improve the infrastructure at the Royal Darlin Hospital.

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Speaker 2: This is a long term plan and we're hoping that

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Speaker 2: that thirty five million will be forthcoming. But so that

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Speaker 2: conversation is an ongoing conversation between myself and the minister,

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Speaker 2: but also we're at department level. Those conversations have been

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Speaker 2: going on at department level for some time now.

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Speaker 1: Now I know there has been a few barbs thrown,

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Speaker 1: of course between well the Member for Solomon Luke Gosling

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Speaker 1: and the COLP government. You know you've just thrown a

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Speaker 1: few yourself then as well. The fact is I guess

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Speaker 1: that territorians are going to need you all to work

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Speaker 1: together for the best for the Northern territory. Are you

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Speaker 1: confident that you're going to be able to do that?

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Speaker 2: I'm very confident. Look, I've had some good constructive conversations

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Speaker 2: with the Minister Butler, and we have worked together prior

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Speaker 2: to the election, and I'm looking forward to prior to

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Speaker 2: the federal election, I should say so, I'm looking forward

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Speaker 2: to continuing that relationship and I'm sure that by working

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Speaker 2: together with Minister Butler, we will get good outcomes for Territorians.

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Speaker 1: Well Health, Minister Steve Edgington, we will leave it there.

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Speaker 1: It sounds like you've got a busy day ahead of you,

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Speaker 1: but at this point in time, I mean just final

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Speaker 1: message for Territorians who've got private health this morning, who

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Speaker 1: are feeling really worried. They may be booked in for

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Speaker 1: surgery over the coming weeks, they may not be, but

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Speaker 1: there may be another service that they're going to need

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Speaker 1: through their private health. What is your message to them

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Speaker 1: this morning, because I know people are feeling really very

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Speaker 1: worried about this whole situation.

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Speaker 2: Look, my message is stay positive. I'm doing everything that

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Speaker 2: I possibly can to ensure that Healthscope is maintaining their service.

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Speaker 2: I think the best outcome we can look for is

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Speaker 2: a new provider coming in, but we'll certainly be making

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Speaker 2: sure to the very best of our ability that Healthscope

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Speaker 2: will continue to deliver the services right up until a

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Speaker 2: new provider comes in.

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Speaker 1: Health Minister Steve Edgington, good to speak with you this morning.

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Speaker 1: I appreciate your time.

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Speaker 2: Thank you, and good morning to everybody.

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Speaker 1: Thank you,