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Speaker 1: The government say that they've identified two hundred million dollars

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Speaker 1: in savings as they promised to rebuild the economy.

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Speaker 2: The Treasurer Bill Yan said that tough.

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Speaker 1: Decisions were being made to ensure that taxpayers money was

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Speaker 1: put to the right priorities and to help claw back

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Speaker 1: Labour's nine billion dollar debt. Now he yesterday announced the

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Speaker 1: government had commenced this work and taken the decisions to

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Speaker 1: pause the undergrounding of high voltage power lines running along

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Speaker 1: corridors in Darwin and also suspend negotiations with the NBL

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Speaker 1: about a local franchise. Now as a result of that,

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Speaker 1: you will also see a deferring of the upgrade to

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Speaker 1: the Darwin Convention Center. The opposition leader Selena Rubo joins

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Speaker 1: me on the line. Good morning to you, Selena, Good.

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Speaker 3: Morning Katie, Good morning to you listeners.

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Speaker 2: Great to have you on the show.

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Speaker 1: Now, Selena, the government is pausing underground high voltage power lines.

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Speaker 1: It is work which is costly but has been happening

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Speaker 1: will It had been for quite a number of years

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Speaker 1: in an effort to prevent to outages that we often

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Speaker 1: see as a result of storms, sometimes tree branches falling

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Speaker 1: down and also even wildlife on those lines. Are you

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Speaker 1: surprised that they've decided to go down this path?

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Speaker 3: Yeah, Katie, it doesn't make sense to me. I mean

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Speaker 3: we've seen what the changes are when we're making our

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Speaker 3: power systems safer and the underground power are power process.

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Speaker 3: So program is a ten year program and it covers

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Speaker 3: thirteen different suburbs, So I know a lot of Darwin

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Speaker 3: suburbs will suburbs residents will remember cyclone Marcus. You know

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Speaker 3: that was only a category two cyclone Katie, and the

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Speaker 3: devastating effects that we saw in Darwin because of that,

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Speaker 3: and of course Palmerston because of that. So it really

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Speaker 3: it's quite strange that they've gone to this and saying

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Speaker 3: that this is going to save territorians money. So I

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Speaker 3: think it's a bit of a low blow. I think

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Speaker 3: for the northern suburbs and for our city suburbs, all

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Speaker 3: of those older Darwin suburbs that really need high voltage

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Speaker 3: underground because of that safety risk because of cyclones, because

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Speaker 3: of the strong weather in the territory. It's only going

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Speaker 3: to get worse because of climate change. So I'm very

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Speaker 3: surprised that they've gone to this level.

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Speaker 1: Look, I am someone who lost power for more than

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Speaker 1: seven days following on from cyclone Markets. So, you know,

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Speaker 1: I do think that it's a good idea to underground

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Speaker 1: those power lines, but the fact is it costs a

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Speaker 1: heck of a lot of money. It takes a really

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Speaker 1: long time, and we don't have any money.

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Speaker 2: We're wearing an enormous amount of debt.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, it does cost a lot of money. But the

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Speaker 3: planning of the technical process for that one kdin As

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Speaker 3: you said, you know you're one of the people who

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Speaker 3: experienced the effects of cyclo Markets. I think some of

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Speaker 3: our territory families we are without power for up to

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Speaker 3: eleven days because of that particular cyclone and the effects

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Speaker 3: of that cyclone. But the investment in underground with the

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Speaker 3: high voltage would mean that, of course there's less risk

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Speaker 3: when we do have those severe storms or indeed cyclones

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Speaker 3: in the top end, and ultimately saving money in the

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Speaker 3: long run because we don't have to worry about any

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Speaker 3: time that there is impact of those severe storms or

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Speaker 3: cyclones that you're not having to then bring power back

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Speaker 3: online and you know, unfortunately putting people's safety at risk

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Speaker 3: who have to work in that field as well.

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Speaker 1: As you've touched on obviously in the wake of cyclone markers.

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Speaker 1: That is when you know, there was a lot of discussion,

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Speaker 1: a lot of sort of push towards the undergrounding of

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Speaker 1: those powers. But you know, since then we've seen schools

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Speaker 1: move to underground power under labor, but no residential homes

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Speaker 1: were connected, as I understand it. So, I mean, is

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Speaker 1: it a bit hypocritical of labor now to be having

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Speaker 1: a crack at the COLP when the work really hasn't

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Speaker 1: happened over the last few years.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, Katie. The schools definitely were the priority because they

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Speaker 3: often get used as cyclone shelters and a place of

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Speaker 3: safety when we do have cyclones or cyclone warnings or

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Speaker 3: watchers or indeed if a cyclone does hit in the

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Speaker 3: TI territory. So that's why the schools were prioritized, because

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Speaker 3: it meant the safety for the wider community in the

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Speaker 3: long run would be able to access power in those

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Speaker 3: emergency circumstances. It is a slow process, That's why it

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Speaker 3: was a ten year program. It was very clearly nutted

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Speaker 3: out in terms of the time frames around that, and

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Speaker 3: it was slow, yes, absolutely, but it means that it's

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Speaker 3: going to be well now it's not going to happen

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Speaker 3: at all, unfortunately on the Sea of Pia government. But

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Speaker 3: it meant that it would happen properly. It would happen

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Speaker 3: at the due process with that technical expertise from Power

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Speaker 3: and Water to be able to do it properly and

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Speaker 3: to do it once to create that. Obviously, all of

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Speaker 3: our new suburbs in Down and Palmerston are already underground,

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Speaker 3: so those older suburbs, people living in those old suburbs

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Speaker 3: deserve to have that safety aspect as well. Katie.

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Speaker 1: Look, someone's just messaged through Andrew and Herbert, and he

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Speaker 1: said Katie, regarding the undergrounding of power. If we can't

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Speaker 1: afford it, we can't have it so as our household budgets.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, and we know it does come with the cost

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Speaker 3: it was budgeted. I am as I said earlier, Katie,

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Speaker 3: I'm quite surprised that this is one of the things

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Speaker 3: that the COLP government is cutting. I mean, if I

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Speaker 3: was a new CLP member in one of those seats

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Speaker 3: that the suburb is going to affect, I'd be quite

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Speaker 3: outraged that my suburb would be missing out.

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Speaker 1: Selena, Let's move along because it's not the only thing

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Speaker 1: that they've said that they're going to sort of stop

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Speaker 1: at this stage. They said they're going to suspend negotiations

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Speaker 1: with the NBL as well about a local franchise, and

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Speaker 1: as a result of that, they're going to defer the

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Speaker 1: upgrade to the Darwin Convention Center. Why did Labour think

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Speaker 1: that a push for an NBL team was so important?

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Speaker 3: So we know territories of their sport, but we also

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Speaker 3: want to make sure that the territory is showcase for

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Speaker 3: all the other things that we love in the NT.

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Speaker 3: So the work was around seeing what other avenues we

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Speaker 3: can showcase of the territory like NBL, like having a

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Speaker 3: top of the range, you know, high level sporting precinct,

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Speaker 3: as well as getting some of those other things that

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Speaker 3: we love in the territory like music, like arts, and

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Speaker 3: creating a space where you can have a large complex

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Speaker 3: that has you know, we're going to the shoulder season

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Speaker 3: now we call it before the wet season, where we

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Speaker 3: can have those big gatherings, have those big communiments, have

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Speaker 3: big concerts in a place that is comfortable and that

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Speaker 3: will bring people to the territory but also benefit territory.

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Speaker 3: So that was a bit of a joint package there

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Speaker 3: and the new Clpic government's obviously not interested in any

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Speaker 3: of that.

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Speaker 1: Well, oppositionally, do they say that these measures alone, like

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Speaker 1: everything that they've announced yesterday, are going to save the

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Speaker 1: territory close to one hundred and fifteen million dollars over

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Speaker 1: four years from twenty twenty four to twenty.

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Speaker 2: Five plus were plus there.

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Speaker 1: Were unfunded obligations of up to eighty five million dollars

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Speaker 1: I reckon that were not on the books. Was the

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Speaker 1: former government making promises that you simply couldn't afford.

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Speaker 3: O Katie, I'm not sure where they're getting that one

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Speaker 3: hundred and fifteen million dollar figure, because what we've looked

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Speaker 3: at is the seventy nine point two million around the

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Speaker 3: in total, which would be the underground power which is

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Speaker 3: sixty million over the four years, and nineteen point two

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Speaker 3: around the convention Center upgrades. So I'm not sure where

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Speaker 3: they're getting the one one five from. I would love

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Speaker 3: to be corrected and have some explanation from the treasure

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Speaker 3: and the Chief on that, but we can't see where

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Speaker 3: the one fifteen is that they're talking about.

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Speaker 1: Well, look, we are going to catch up with the

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Speaker 1: Treasurer hopefully tomorrow morning, So I'll try and get a

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Speaker 1: bit further detail on that. But how much were those

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Speaker 1: negotiations have? Like, how do you know how much it

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Speaker 1: was costing for us to push through those negotiations with

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Speaker 1: the NBL team, because I know that.

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Speaker 3: That is I honestly don't have. Yeah, I honestly don't

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Speaker 3: have that figure, Katie. I'm sorry. I would share it

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Speaker 3: if I did.

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Speaker 1: Yeah. Now, I know though that they are saying that

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Speaker 1: there's eighty five million dollars in obligations which were not

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Speaker 1: on the books.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I'm I would love to know what they are

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Speaker 3: to then be able to respond properly. So everything prior

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Speaker 3: to the territory election, our labor team had budget and

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Speaker 3: we had to do that because that was requirement through

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Speaker 3: the treasurer at the Department of Treasury. So I would

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Speaker 3: like to respond if I knew what they were. So

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Speaker 3: I don't know where the eighty five million is. I

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Speaker 3: would again like to respond if I could see that list, though,

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Speaker 3: that would be great.

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Speaker 2: I'll try my best to get some details we can.

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Speaker 3: Told me helpful and I probably listened to you more

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Speaker 3: than me, Katie.

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Speaker 1: I'll see if I can get some details so we

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Speaker 1: can talk about it on Friday for the week that was.

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Speaker 1: We know as well that the new Youth Detention Center

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Speaker 1: it's becoming operational this week. It was indeed supposed to

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Speaker 1: be up and running when you guys were still in power, Selena.

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Speaker 1: From your perspective, what held it up and are you

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Speaker 1: pleased that it is now actually operational?

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Speaker 3: Definitely please that the investment into the new facility is

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Speaker 3: coming to the fruition now, Katie, and it will be operational.

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Speaker 3: It was a big part of the recommendation around the

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Speaker 3: Royal Commission, as we know. I don't want to repeat

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Speaker 3: myself too much around that, but that was a huge

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Speaker 3: piece of work and that's something that we undertook in

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Speaker 3: our eight years of government to respond and to act

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Speaker 3: on those recommendations from the Royal Commission. I think it

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Speaker 3: will make a huge difference to have it operationally now.

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Speaker 3: Unfortunately it wasn't ready in time while we were still

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Speaker 3: in government. But I understand that there were just some

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Speaker 3: infrastructure delays. Whenever you get something built, whether it's your

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Speaker 3: house or you know, you know, a huge commercial building

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Speaker 3: or something like the new Youth Detention Center, it has

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Speaker 3: to be handed over properly. So the contractors walk through infrastructure.

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Speaker 3: If there's any little niggles that they're not happy with,

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Speaker 3: that all has to be done before it's officially handed over,

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Speaker 3: and that was my understanding the delay. Really glad that

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Speaker 3: the work that we did in government is now able

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Speaker 3: to be operational.

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Speaker 1: Well, look, fact is you know it went hugely over

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Speaker 1: budget as well and it is delayed. Is that something though,

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Speaker 1: that you're going to be sort of trying to keep

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Speaker 1: a close eye on With the current government. You know,

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Speaker 1: they've spoken a lot about pet projects and said that

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Speaker 1: they're not going to have pet projects like the Labor

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Speaker 1: Party did. How are you going to hold them to

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Speaker 1: account in that space?

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Speaker 3: Yeah, it'll be interesting because they're using the pet projects

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Speaker 3: but not actually labeling what those pet projects are. And

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Speaker 3: this is definitely not I think anyone in the territory

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Speaker 3: would disagree that having the new detention facility for use

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Speaker 3: will be is a pet project. So I'm glad that

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Speaker 3: that's not being labeled as that. I think it is

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Speaker 3: quite dismissive, Katie for the Colp government to call some

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Speaker 3: of those projects. They may to be projects that have

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Speaker 3: come from the community. There may have been projects that

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Speaker 3: have been lobbied for and advocated for for particular reason.

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Speaker 3: So I'm yet to see what the list of pet

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Speaker 3: projects are. They're using that terminology to try and I

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Speaker 3: think soften the blow when they do cut projects out

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Speaker 3: of the infrastructure budget. I think they've said forty two

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Speaker 3: million dollars if going to be cut from infrastructure. They

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Speaker 3: haven't said what those projects are. As long as they're

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Speaker 3: up front, then people can see what they're cutting. I understand,

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Speaker 3: you know, their focus is around rebuilding the territory economy,

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Speaker 3: but there also needs to be things that we can

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Speaker 3: all hang our hat on across the territory that are

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Speaker 3: going to make the territory even better, and that you

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Speaker 3: know does rely on infrastructure, it does rely on upgrades.

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Speaker 3: And I think that the new government will hopefully come

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Speaker 3: out and say what they're cutting so that we know

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Speaker 3: that we can concentrate on looking at the projects that

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Speaker 3: do remain and making sure they're delivered for territories as well. Well.

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Speaker 1: Look, I'll certainly continue to ask those questions, and I

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Speaker 1: know when it came to those pet projects, that is

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Speaker 1: something that I'd asked several times of the now Attorney General,

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Speaker 1: Mary Clare Boothby on the week that was one week

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Speaker 1: both myself and Matt Cunningham peppering her with questions about that.

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Speaker 1: So don't worry. I will stay on to that and

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Speaker 1: try and find out exactly what those pet projects are.

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Speaker 1: Opposition leader Doctor Richard Fijo joined me on the show

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Speaker 1: yesterday and explained why he decided to stand down as

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Speaker 1: the chair of the Waterfront.

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Speaker 2: He does not agree with kids age ten going to jail. Now.

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Speaker 1: When Labor was in power, we were told that there

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Speaker 1: would be programs for kids that are this young. I mean,

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Speaker 1: from what I can see, it really seemed that there

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Speaker 1: wasn't that there actually wasn't a lot of support for

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Speaker 1: kids that were this young that were engaged in the

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Speaker 1: wrong behavior, criminal behavior in some instances. Do you think

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Speaker 1: that if you guys actually did things a little bit differently,

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Speaker 1: if you did have those programs in place, like the

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Speaker 1: then Attorney General Chancey Paig had promised, that we maybe

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Speaker 1: wouldn't be going on this path.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, Kaanie, I think doctor Richard Veijo's message. You know,

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Speaker 3: he's a very well respected leader and territory, and I

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Speaker 3: think it seeks volume that he's publicly made this decision

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Speaker 3: and he's been talking about it very much. Respect him

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Speaker 3: for that position that he's held, and you know, to

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Speaker 3: his own values. Something that Labor does hold firm on

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Speaker 3: is that locking up tenere old kids aren't actually going

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Speaker 3: to make our commute safer. We do agree that consequences

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Speaker 3: need to be face Katie, so I don't want there

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Speaker 3: to be any misconception around that, but we don't believe

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Speaker 3: that a prison cell is the right place for a

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Speaker 3: ten year old territory in We do think that there

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Speaker 3: was delays, and I acknowledge there's frustration that we didn't

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Speaker 3: get the amount of youth programs and the diversity of

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Speaker 3: youth programs up for youth offenders. I think that is

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Speaker 3: definitely a frustration under our former Labor government that we

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Speaker 3: didn't get some of those programs up. It's also something

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Speaker 3: that the new CLP government has promised and committed to.

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Speaker 3: So we'll be watching that very carefully because we want

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Speaker 3: to make sure that we do have those programs. The

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Speaker 3: CLP has promised them in different forms and I think

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Speaker 3: you know that refresh Start from them will be watching

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Speaker 3: very closely, but it is based to enter as well.

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Speaker 1: Do you acknowledge that had they been operating and had

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Speaker 1: there been those consequences for kids that are committing times

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Speaker 1: that we may not be going, you know, down this path.

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Speaker 3: Now, which path are you talking about, like.

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Speaker 1: Going down the path of potentially seeing ten year olds incarcerated?

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Speaker 3: Yeah, well, I think that in terms of addressing the

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Speaker 3: and we've said it lots of times, that it really

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Speaker 3: does make a difference when we're thinking about and analyzing

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Speaker 3: why a young person is in that you know, in

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Speaker 3: that action is offending, is you know, part of crime,

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Speaker 3: is you know, creating an unsafe community for all of us.

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Speaker 3: I think when we're looking at the reasons why, I

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Speaker 3: think that's really important as well. We can always deal

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Speaker 3: with the action at the moment. The CLP's answer is

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Speaker 3: to lock those kids up. That's okay, that's what they've

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Speaker 3: come out and said, and that's what they're going to do.

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Speaker 3: But actually the programs around.

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Speaker 1: This is one thing that I will I will, you know,

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Speaker 1: I will say is that they actually haven't said they

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Speaker 1: want to lock ten year old kids up.

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Speaker 2: In fact, they've said the very opposite.

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Speaker 1: Even you know, when you've been in here with discussions

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Speaker 1: with the CLP members, they've said, we actually don't want

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Speaker 1: to go down the path that we don't want to

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Speaker 1: see ten year olds locked up, but we'd like you'd

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Speaker 1: said earlier, but they do want to see a consequence

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Speaker 1: if a young person, whatever age they are, is committing

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Speaker 1: a crime, and that is something that was lacking previously

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Speaker 1: that a lot of people were very frustrated with.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, Katie, definitely not your point. But if you didn't

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Speaker 3: agree with locking up ten year old and eleven year

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Speaker 3: old kids, then they wouldn't have had to change the legislation.

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Speaker 3: They could still go through the programs that they're saying

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Speaker 3: that they're going to create or instill and diversify. You

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Speaker 3: can still do that without those legislative changes which they

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Speaker 3: made in the last sittings. But when we're talking about

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Speaker 3: how do we really focus on that behavior, there has

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Speaker 3: to be a holistic view. We definitely want to see consequences.

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Speaker 3: We want to make sure that all territorianes are safe.

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Speaker 3: Those young people who do do the wrong thing have

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Speaker 3: to face the consequences. Katie. There's no data, no way

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Speaker 3: around it, and there's no doubt about it. But what

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Speaker 3: then happens after that action and then what happens before

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Speaker 3: when we're talking about bringing online, more diversion programs to

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Speaker 3: stop that, you know, that negative behavior or that offending behavior.

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Speaker 3: We're you know, we'll be watching very closely to see

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Speaker 3: what the CLP come up with, because that's that's a

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Speaker 3: value that we have as labor is to see how

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Speaker 3: do you then reduce the pressures on the justice system

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Speaker 3: and create a safer community, which the CLP has promised,

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Speaker 3: So we'll be watching that very closely.

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Speaker 1: Well. Selena Ubo, the opposition leader, always appreciate your time.

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Speaker 2: Thank you very much for joining me this morning.

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Speaker 3: Thank you for having me. Katie much appreciate it.

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Speaker 2: Thank you