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Speaker 1: Now we understand that there has been a call from

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Speaker 1: the Transport Workers Union for urgent government action in an

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Speaker 1: effort to address security concerns across the Darwin bus network

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Speaker 1: following what they describe as a horrific assault on a

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Speaker 1: bus driver in Palmerston at the interchange on Monday morning.

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Speaker 1: Joining me on the line to tell us a little

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Speaker 1: bit more is the Transport Workers Union Branch secretary Ian Smith.

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Speaker 1: Good morning to you, Ian.

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Speaker 2: Good morning CARDI. How are you going?

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Speaker 1: Not too bad? I what happened on Monday morning at

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Speaker 1: the interchange.

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Speaker 2: Our understanding is that at about five am drivers than

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Speaker 2: just carrying out his normal duties and a passenger has

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Speaker 2: gone on the bus and attacked him for some reason.

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Speaker 2: I'm not sure the reason yet. That we're attacking behind

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Speaker 2: the driver protection system that's in place, and unfortunately the

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Speaker 2: force that he used has managed to break open the

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Speaker 2: door on this with a favorit of force and started

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Speaker 2: throwing punches and hitting hitting our member in the head,

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Speaker 2: in the arm and quiet quite and you know, putting

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Speaker 2: him in a very very vulnerable position. Luckily, there were

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Speaker 2: some other bus drivers around at the time that I

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Speaker 2: came to his aid and the offender ran off on

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Speaker 2: my own understanding police are call. Our member had went

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Speaker 2: to hospital very badly bruised and shaken up and it's

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Speaker 2: still quite shaken that which is quite understandable. It's pretty aerifical. Man.

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Speaker 2: I concerned I have. I'm not sure the police are

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Speaker 2: following it up yet. So you know, if this is out,

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Speaker 2: this is any social behavior to control when they're physically

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Speaker 2: invading a driver's space, you know, we need action taken

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Speaker 2: on it. And we're aware of a pretty serious incident

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Speaker 2: incident from our members that happened four or five weeks

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Speaker 2: ago that potentially involved a knife, which is even more scarier.

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Speaker 2: So we need to put a stop to this. So yes,

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Speaker 2: we are certainly calling for me with the sake come.

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Speaker 2: We've had had a committee to son some great work,

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Speaker 2: but what we're seeing in Darwen in particular is the

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Speaker 2: situation out of control and needs to be addressed.

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Speaker 1: Well that sounds that sounds actually quite terrifying, you know,

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Speaker 1: for that driver to be behind that the screening and

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Speaker 1: that person to be able to break through that and

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Speaker 1: then punch him and assault him. Now, we did get

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Speaker 1: in contact with the Northern Territory Police and they have

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Speaker 1: sent us through a statement saying that they're aware of

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Speaker 1: the incident. It was reported just before six am on

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Speaker 1: that morning, and the alleged incident or the alleged assault

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Speaker 1: is being investigated, but nil arrests have been made yet,

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Speaker 1: and that man took himself to hospital. I is he okay?

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Speaker 2: Our understanding, yes, he is well well. Our organizer in

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Speaker 2: Darwen's been in conscience contact with him and giving as

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Speaker 2: much as poor as he can. My understanding is the

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Speaker 2: company is also doing the same. Shame, So look where

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Speaker 2: our thoughts go out to himself and his family, and

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Speaker 2: no one should put up with this, and we just

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Speaker 2: need to make sure that whatever assistance he needs to

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Speaker 2: deal with the matter, he gets and we get him

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Speaker 2: out back on the job, you know, because and we

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Speaker 2: need to make change so that it's not just bus

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Speaker 2: drivers that need protection, it's a traveling public and we

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Speaker 2: need a great We have got a good public transfer

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Speaker 2: system in the territory, but the only social behavior is

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Speaker 2: out of control and we need we need to address

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Speaker 2: that well and very quickly.

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Speaker 1: And you said just a moment ago that around five

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Speaker 1: weeks ago there was an incident as well involving a knife.

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Speaker 1: What happened there.

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Speaker 2: Well, it's a bit scratchy, but I think it was

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Speaker 2: a pretty serious incident. So we're still investigating about members

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Speaker 2: are reported. It's a pretty serious incident. So I'm unaware

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Speaker 2: of the actual full circumstances, but that it is, it

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Speaker 2: was quite serious at once. We've been led to belief.

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Speaker 2: But you know, and those are the sort of things

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Speaker 2: that I know, I know the NTI government would say

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Speaker 2: totally unacceptable and we need to address. So I just

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Speaker 2: want to get around the table again and we have

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Speaker 2: an effected committee and address let's see if we can

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Speaker 2: do some stuff very quickly that puts extra police, extra

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Speaker 2: security guards in these trouble spots for longer periods, so

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Speaker 2: that we can stop this anti social behavior. Has to stop, Yeah,

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Speaker 2: because we can't wait till somebody's killed, whether that's a passenger,

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Speaker 2: whether that's the driver or even the perpetrator. We can't

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Speaker 2: wait for that to happen. We need to address it.

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Speaker 2: And as I said, we've written to the government calling

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Speaker 2: for some action and the first wave will be let's

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Speaker 2: sit around the table and let's get something in place

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Speaker 2: in the situation.

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Speaker 1: Have you had any response from the Northern territory government

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Speaker 1: at least.

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Speaker 2: Yesterday. So yeah, you know, the wills of the wills

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Speaker 2: of government don't turn as quickly as everything else. And

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Speaker 2: we'd expect that, Oh well I won't expect. I know

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Speaker 2: they'll be in contact with us.

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Speaker 1: Well, yeah, as a bloody will should be, you know,

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Speaker 1: as they should be. And this kind of behavior is

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Speaker 1: not acceptable. It's entirely unacceptable for some pooor bugger to

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Speaker 1: go to work on Monday morning and you know, before

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Speaker 1: six o'clock in the morning, you're dealing with this type

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Speaker 1: of thing. It is. It's totally unacceptable. And do you

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Speaker 1: think that there's been an increasing anti social behavior on

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Speaker 1: our bus network.

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Speaker 2: Well, if you speak to the drivers, I'll say yes. Look,

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Speaker 2: it gets to the It is one of those things

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Speaker 2: that occurs and industry across the border, and we'll have

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Speaker 2: moments when it gets worse at time to time. We

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Speaker 2: need to stamp it out. We need to in in

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Speaker 2: multiple ways. It involves education, it involves more policing. If

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Speaker 2: it involves as you're making sure the perpetrators suffer a

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Speaker 2: consequence for what they do. There's a whole range of

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Speaker 2: issues that we need to address and we have been

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Speaker 2: trying to address that with a committee, but it's raised

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Speaker 2: head now and that's the reason that you know, we've

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Speaker 2: spoken up. Yeah, a pure fact. No one deserves. No

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Speaker 2: one deserves to go to work and be punched in

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Speaker 2: the head, hit in the arm and have your private

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Speaker 2: space invaded. That's the scary part for me.

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Speaker 1: Ye spot on, Yeah, you're spot on. But then you

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Speaker 1: also touched on it before as well. And every passenger

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Speaker 1: deserves to be safe on the bus network too, And

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Speaker 1: you know, like I just think for somebody to be

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Speaker 1: assaulted when they're in their workplaces is horrifying. And then

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Speaker 1: we've had you know, we've had our listeners get in

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Speaker 1: contact with us at different times and tell us about

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Speaker 1: various things that have happened when they've been on buses,

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Speaker 1: and it is really tough. I know that you're always

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Speaker 1: going to see an element or a small you know,

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Speaker 1: a small you'd expect to see some small percentage sometimes

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Speaker 1: of people doing the wrong thing, But you don't want

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Speaker 1: to see this kind of thing happening on a regular basis.

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Speaker 2: No, And I'm sure everybody, all parties will agree with that.

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Speaker 2: But it's mat of getting the heads together and coming

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Speaker 2: up with a proper, safe way that we can achieve

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Speaker 2: the outcome we're looking for. Yeah, and you know, I'm

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Speaker 2: sure all I'm home. Well, I would expect that that

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Speaker 2: will happen. If it doesn't, we'll keep freshing until it does. Yeah. Well,

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Speaker 2: in fill such time that we've addressed the issue.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, and I've just received a message on our text

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Speaker 1: line from a driver saying, Hi, Katie, thanks so much

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Speaker 1: for having the TWU representative on the show to share

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Speaker 1: the sad tale of a driver assault on Monday. It's

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Speaker 1: a daily ordeal dealing with some of this anti social behavior.

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Speaker 1: The mental health impact is terrible. I hope something's done

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Speaker 1: about this problem soon.

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Speaker 2: Well that's well, we'll be rest assured. The Transport Workers

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Speaker 2: Union will be doing everything to make sure that it occurs.

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Speaker 1: Ian Smith, the Transport Workers Union Branch secretary for the

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Speaker 1: NT and South ASTRAA. I really appreciate you having a

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Speaker 1: chat with us this morning and making us aware of

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Speaker 1: this incident. We'll talk to you again soon. Thank you, Bye,

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Speaker 1: Thank you,