1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:03,199 Speaker 1: Joining me in the studio right now is Shane Stone, 2 00:00:03,360 --> 00:00:06,640 Speaker 1: who will former Chief Minister of the Northern Territory but 3 00:00:06,760 --> 00:00:12,160 Speaker 1: now the Coordinator General well of a new National Recovery 4 00:00:12,280 --> 00:00:15,360 Speaker 1: and Resilience Agency. Good morning to you, Shane. 5 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:17,040 Speaker 2: Good morning Kadi, and it's great to be back home. 6 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:19,480 Speaker 1: It's great to have you in the studio. How about 7 00:00:19,520 --> 00:00:21,320 Speaker 1: this weather? Firstly, isn't it glorious? 8 00:00:21,360 --> 00:00:23,919 Speaker 2: Well, anything compared to Canberra is glorious. 9 00:00:24,920 --> 00:00:26,800 Speaker 3: And I do have to spend a bit of time 10 00:00:26,840 --> 00:00:29,960 Speaker 3: down there, as you would understand as an agency head 11 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:31,400 Speaker 3: within Prime Minister and Cabinet. 12 00:00:31,720 --> 00:00:34,200 Speaker 2: But it's always great to come home. 13 00:00:34,240 --> 00:00:36,720 Speaker 3: And we've still got our home here and I sit 14 00:00:36,760 --> 00:00:39,240 Speaker 3: out on that balcony looking over Mendel Little Mindel. 15 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:40,640 Speaker 2: Just fabulous. 16 00:00:40,800 --> 00:00:44,400 Speaker 1: It is such a beautiful place, the Northern Territory in Darwin, Shane. 17 00:00:44,400 --> 00:00:46,480 Speaker 1: What are you here for in Darwin at the moment? 18 00:00:46,640 --> 00:00:50,680 Speaker 3: Well, I came up to participate in the Food Futures 19 00:00:50,720 --> 00:00:54,840 Speaker 3: Conference Mouthful, which is about the future ragid culture across 20 00:00:54,880 --> 00:01:00,120 Speaker 3: the top. This time it's Darwin's turn to host it. 21 00:01:00,120 --> 00:01:02,960 Speaker 2: It was canceled during the virus last year so didn't 22 00:01:02,960 --> 00:01:03,480 Speaker 2: get a run. 23 00:01:04,040 --> 00:01:07,679 Speaker 3: But there are literally hundreds of people from all around 24 00:01:07,680 --> 00:01:10,800 Speaker 3: Australia come up to talk about everything from beef through 25 00:01:10,800 --> 00:01:14,920 Speaker 3: to ramba, tens and anything else that comprises agriculture. Because 26 00:01:15,319 --> 00:01:17,880 Speaker 3: at the end of the day, Australia has set itself 27 00:01:17,920 --> 00:01:21,399 Speaker 3: a very ambitious goal of many billions of dollars of 28 00:01:21,440 --> 00:01:25,360 Speaker 3: production over the time ahead, and this conference which we 29 00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:28,920 Speaker 3: are part sponsoring, is very important and bringing all those 30 00:01:28,959 --> 00:01:30,520 Speaker 3: Australians together here in Darwen. 31 00:01:30,680 --> 00:01:33,200 Speaker 1: Yeah, and we've heard quite a bit over recent months 32 00:01:33,200 --> 00:01:35,520 Speaker 1: some of the difficulties that our farmers are having at 33 00:01:35,560 --> 00:01:38,880 Speaker 1: the moment when it comes to workers not being able 34 00:01:38,920 --> 00:01:41,280 Speaker 1: to bring pickers and packers and that type of thing 35 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:45,160 Speaker 1: across to the Northern Territory in particular to help with 36 00:01:45,200 --> 00:01:48,360 Speaker 1: those crops. No doubt that's something that's being discussed as well. 37 00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:50,640 Speaker 3: That is very much on the lips of many people 38 00:01:50,640 --> 00:01:54,160 Speaker 3: who struggled to get necessary farm lay. But you know, Katie, 39 00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:56,720 Speaker 3: you got to admire these people. Some of them been 40 00:01:56,800 --> 00:01:59,960 Speaker 3: in drought and they got smashed in those North Queensland floods. 41 00:02:00,240 --> 00:02:03,480 Speaker 3: They went back into drought and then the grasshoppers turned 42 00:02:03,560 --> 00:02:06,080 Speaker 3: up and now we've got the mice, I mean, and 43 00:02:06,120 --> 00:02:09,160 Speaker 3: we had cyclos in between. I mean, you have to 44 00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:14,160 Speaker 3: admire people who generation to generation can take everything that's 45 00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:16,799 Speaker 3: thrown at them and they don't put their hand out. 46 00:02:16,880 --> 00:02:20,280 Speaker 3: They are very reluctant to accept any sort of financial 47 00:02:20,280 --> 00:02:23,120 Speaker 3: support because they just take the view that's farming. 48 00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:26,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, I know, but honestly they have the toughest job 49 00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:29,440 Speaker 1: and they are such incredibly hard workers. You know. On 50 00:02:29,440 --> 00:02:33,600 Speaker 1: that mice topic, and you know, we've got Peter that 51 00:02:33,639 --> 00:02:35,680 Speaker 1: have come out today and said, you know that these 52 00:02:35,720 --> 00:02:38,640 Speaker 1: mice need to be humanely trapped and taken away and 53 00:02:38,680 --> 00:02:42,160 Speaker 1: set free. Just makes your question whether some people actually 54 00:02:42,240 --> 00:02:45,760 Speaker 1: realize what it is like to be on a farnt well. 55 00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:49,720 Speaker 3: I mean, the very same people also agitated for humane 56 00:02:49,720 --> 00:02:53,360 Speaker 3: treatment of the cane toad and there's no end to them. 57 00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:55,320 Speaker 3: But look, we live in a democracy. Everyone's in tight 58 00:02:55,400 --> 00:02:57,639 Speaker 3: to I have a point of view, but what they're 59 00:02:57,680 --> 00:03:02,320 Speaker 3: saying is just plain nuts. These there's destrawing whole crops 60 00:03:02,919 --> 00:03:06,840 Speaker 3: and the livelihoods of people. As I said, that everything 61 00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:11,400 Speaker 3: thrown at them, and now two billion, two billion mice. 62 00:03:11,720 --> 00:03:14,280 Speaker 2: It's turn up. Yeah, what do you do? 63 00:03:14,680 --> 00:03:16,840 Speaker 3: And you know it's not simple because people say one 64 00:03:16,960 --> 00:03:19,960 Speaker 3: just poison them. Well, the problem is that that impacts 65 00:03:20,040 --> 00:03:24,880 Speaker 3: upon the organic beef producers because they of course work 66 00:03:24,919 --> 00:03:31,440 Speaker 3: in an entirely you know, free fertilizer, that's pure environment. 67 00:03:31,919 --> 00:03:34,440 Speaker 3: And if you're putting out mouse traps and baits and 68 00:03:34,560 --> 00:03:38,160 Speaker 3: introducing poisons into their immediate vicinity, it's a problem. 69 00:03:38,280 --> 00:03:40,600 Speaker 1: Yeah. And again it just goes to show you the 70 00:03:40,640 --> 00:03:44,080 Speaker 1: complexities that our farmers have got and that is why 71 00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:47,640 Speaker 1: we have an event like the Food Future's Conference here 72 00:03:47,720 --> 00:03:50,720 Speaker 1: talking about all of those complexities. And obviously the complexities 73 00:03:50,760 --> 00:03:53,040 Speaker 1: in the Top End and Northern Australia are quite different, 74 00:03:53,040 --> 00:03:54,880 Speaker 1: I'm sure to what we see in some of those 75 00:03:54,920 --> 00:03:55,480 Speaker 1: other stuffes. 76 00:03:55,480 --> 00:03:56,040 Speaker 2: That is true. 77 00:03:56,480 --> 00:03:59,840 Speaker 3: NT Farmers are hosting this conference. They're doing a great job. 78 00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:03,119 Speaker 3: The two main producer organizations of the territory of course, 79 00:04:03,160 --> 00:04:06,920 Speaker 3: of the Northern Territory Cattleman's Association in Tea Farmers, so 80 00:04:07,680 --> 00:04:10,600 Speaker 3: between them they make sure that the territory voice is 81 00:04:10,640 --> 00:04:12,440 Speaker 3: heard and heard nationally. 82 00:04:12,560 --> 00:04:16,520 Speaker 1: But now, Shanestone, twenty one years ago you were the 83 00:04:16,600 --> 00:04:19,200 Speaker 1: Chief Minister of the Northern Territory. Many may have thought 84 00:04:19,320 --> 00:04:21,400 Speaker 1: that you know that you might not be such a 85 00:04:21,400 --> 00:04:25,279 Speaker 1: busy man twenty one years later, but you have been 86 00:04:25,440 --> 00:04:29,640 Speaker 1: appointed it's the Coordinator General of the National Recovery and 87 00:04:29,720 --> 00:04:34,120 Speaker 1: Resilience Agency. This is quite a phenomenal appointment, particularly when 88 00:04:34,160 --> 00:04:38,039 Speaker 1: you talk about the territory and a territory and stepping 89 00:04:38,080 --> 00:04:41,600 Speaker 1: into this role. Tell us a little bit more about it. 90 00:04:41,839 --> 00:04:46,200 Speaker 3: Well, I effectively had retired and I was enjoying a 91 00:04:46,320 --> 00:04:46,880 Speaker 3: nice life. 92 00:04:46,920 --> 00:04:48,320 Speaker 2: I had me place at Channel. 93 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:51,560 Speaker 3: Point and I'm McKean fisherman and CRABA and all the rest. 94 00:04:51,600 --> 00:04:55,040 Speaker 3: But Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who had a long association 95 00:04:55,160 --> 00:04:58,719 Speaker 3: with asked me to step in and look after the 96 00:04:58,760 --> 00:05:03,719 Speaker 3: flood monsoon, a disaster in North Queensland. And people remember 97 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:08,320 Speaker 3: five hundred thousand cattle dyed and crane, grain crops were 98 00:05:08,360 --> 00:05:11,600 Speaker 3: flattened and sugar cane, I mean it was They estimated 99 00:05:11,640 --> 00:05:15,720 Speaker 3: there was a seven billion dollar damage. And so I 100 00:05:15,760 --> 00:05:17,680 Speaker 3: did that for twelve months and then he turned to 101 00:05:17,720 --> 00:05:20,080 Speaker 3: me and said, well, now we want you to take 102 00:05:20,120 --> 00:05:23,760 Speaker 3: on drought nationally. So I became North Queensland Flood National 103 00:05:23,880 --> 00:05:27,640 Speaker 3: Drought and more recently I've taken on this new role. 104 00:05:27,680 --> 00:05:28,599 Speaker 2: Now this is historic. 105 00:05:29,760 --> 00:05:33,480 Speaker 3: It's historic because it's the first time that the federal 106 00:05:33,520 --> 00:05:36,279 Speaker 3: government has pulled together all the threads of everything that 107 00:05:36,320 --> 00:05:38,840 Speaker 3: can go wrong in the past, they set up for 108 00:05:38,920 --> 00:05:41,800 Speaker 3: single purpose agencies, fix that and then they wind it 109 00:05:41,880 --> 00:05:45,000 Speaker 3: up and until the next one comes. This is about 110 00:05:45,040 --> 00:05:49,520 Speaker 3: long term planning. I've got an incredibly big budget, but 111 00:05:49,560 --> 00:05:51,559 Speaker 3: you got to bear in mind that when it comes 112 00:05:51,560 --> 00:05:55,080 Speaker 3: to disasters. In Australia Insurance Council tell us we spend 113 00:05:55,200 --> 00:05:58,360 Speaker 3: ninety seven percent on cleaning up, so we're very good 114 00:05:58,400 --> 00:06:02,040 Speaker 3: cleaner uppers and mopper uppers, and three percent on getting ready. 115 00:06:02,800 --> 00:06:03,760 Speaker 2: We've got to reverse that. 116 00:06:04,400 --> 00:06:07,080 Speaker 3: We've got to make sure that, you know, people are 117 00:06:07,080 --> 00:06:11,000 Speaker 3: properly prepared for what's coming down the tube. And I 118 00:06:11,040 --> 00:06:13,240 Speaker 3: mean I experienced it with Catherine floods in ninety eight. 119 00:06:13,839 --> 00:06:15,360 Speaker 3: I mean, the whole town went under it and it 120 00:06:15,440 --> 00:06:18,839 Speaker 3: was just devastating and there's things that could have been done. 121 00:06:19,400 --> 00:06:22,800 Speaker 3: But it requires investment in infrastructure and betterment. 122 00:06:22,960 --> 00:06:24,160 Speaker 2: You'll hear that word betterment. 123 00:06:24,560 --> 00:06:28,360 Speaker 3: It's about if you're going to deal with public infrastructure 124 00:06:28,440 --> 00:06:31,159 Speaker 3: and it gets washed away or burnt or whatever, when 125 00:06:31,160 --> 00:06:34,159 Speaker 3: you put it back, put it back better and that 126 00:06:34,279 --> 00:06:35,480 Speaker 3: way you've got to hope. 127 00:06:35,760 --> 00:06:39,279 Speaker 1: So Shane, for the Northern Territory in particular, how do 128 00:06:39,320 --> 00:06:41,640 Speaker 1: you think that this agency is You know, how will 129 00:06:41,640 --> 00:06:43,839 Speaker 1: it sort of work in the territory to try and 130 00:06:43,880 --> 00:06:46,960 Speaker 1: help us territories because we know that we're subjected, as 131 00:06:46,960 --> 00:06:49,760 Speaker 1: you said then to floods but also to cyclones. We 132 00:06:49,880 --> 00:06:52,000 Speaker 1: certainly copped it over the years. 133 00:06:51,839 --> 00:06:52,280 Speaker 2: Well we have. 134 00:06:52,440 --> 00:06:56,040 Speaker 3: We're not quite as precarious as Queensland. We we call 135 00:06:56,120 --> 00:06:59,720 Speaker 3: Queensland Disaster Central because they get everything. The charity is 136 00:06:59,720 --> 00:07:01,800 Speaker 3: certainly it gets at cyclones, we get our floods, we 137 00:07:01,880 --> 00:07:04,680 Speaker 3: get occasional scrub fires and all the rest. But the 138 00:07:04,720 --> 00:07:07,479 Speaker 3: fact is now this national agency, because it has a 139 00:07:07,560 --> 00:07:10,679 Speaker 3: national reach, then it will be there for the territory 140 00:07:10,720 --> 00:07:13,720 Speaker 3: as well as it will be for Wa, Tasmania, the 141 00:07:13,760 --> 00:07:14,520 Speaker 3: whole of Australias. 142 00:07:14,560 --> 00:07:15,800 Speaker 2: I said, this is very historic. 143 00:07:16,160 --> 00:07:19,720 Speaker 3: It shows great vision by Prime Minister Scott Morrison to 144 00:07:19,800 --> 00:07:23,680 Speaker 3: actually have gone down this path and decided to establish 145 00:07:23,680 --> 00:07:25,080 Speaker 3: this single purpose agency. 146 00:07:25,480 --> 00:07:29,000 Speaker 1: And is there I mean, I'm assuming that as we 147 00:07:29,080 --> 00:07:32,320 Speaker 1: live through a disaster, no matter where we are in Australia, 148 00:07:32,640 --> 00:07:35,680 Speaker 1: you guys will step in and help out when required. 149 00:07:35,680 --> 00:07:38,000 Speaker 1: But is there somewhere where people can go to get 150 00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:40,240 Speaker 1: a bit more information or to find out a little 151 00:07:40,240 --> 00:07:42,040 Speaker 1: bit more about the work that is being done. 152 00:07:42,120 --> 00:07:44,280 Speaker 3: Well, if they go on our old website, which was 153 00:07:44,360 --> 00:07:46,400 Speaker 3: a drought and flood Yep, there's a direction. 154 00:07:46,480 --> 00:07:47,560 Speaker 2: But we're now recovery. 155 00:07:48,040 --> 00:07:50,680 Speaker 3: So if you go on the website for recovery, we've 156 00:07:50,680 --> 00:07:53,600 Speaker 3: done all the comms, everything's crossed over. We've got to 157 00:07:53,600 --> 00:07:57,240 Speaker 3: our Facebook pages up and running and we're now a 158 00:07:57,320 --> 00:08:01,680 Speaker 3: sizeable organization compared to what we were before. Now we're decentralizing. 159 00:08:01,960 --> 00:08:05,720 Speaker 3: It's not just about a Canbra centric operation. Morrison said 160 00:08:05,720 --> 00:08:07,440 Speaker 3: to me, make sure that you get out in the 161 00:08:07,480 --> 00:08:11,800 Speaker 3: regions and establish, you know, in other places. So we've 162 00:08:11,840 --> 00:08:15,400 Speaker 3: got an office set up in Brisbane as we also 163 00:08:15,520 --> 00:08:18,280 Speaker 3: will have hubs and one of those hubs will be 164 00:08:18,280 --> 00:08:21,880 Speaker 3: coming here to Darwin. There'd be another one in cans 165 00:08:22,560 --> 00:08:24,880 Speaker 3: and another one in Aubury and this is all consistent 166 00:08:24,920 --> 00:08:27,880 Speaker 3: with the Morrison government's decentralization programs. 167 00:08:28,000 --> 00:08:29,760 Speaker 1: Well, I tell you what, when you talk about having 168 00:08:29,760 --> 00:08:33,040 Speaker 1: a resilience agency, I'm not surprised we've got a territory 169 00:08:33,080 --> 00:08:35,160 Speaker 1: in heading it up because we're a pretty resilient bunch, 170 00:08:35,200 --> 00:08:35,680 Speaker 1: aren't we. 171 00:08:35,679 --> 00:08:37,880 Speaker 2: Well we are and we've had everything thrown at us. 172 00:08:37,920 --> 00:08:41,440 Speaker 3: But look, in the past government wasn't really there to 173 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:43,840 Speaker 3: hand out grants and loans and. 174 00:08:43,840 --> 00:08:45,600 Speaker 2: Like so that has evolved. 175 00:08:46,120 --> 00:08:49,280 Speaker 3: But I'm always amazed at the number of people who say, mate, 176 00:08:49,360 --> 00:08:52,280 Speaker 3: I'm okay, go and see the next fellow. They just 177 00:08:52,360 --> 00:08:54,160 Speaker 3: won't accept it, but I make the point it's a 178 00:08:54,200 --> 00:08:55,520 Speaker 3: hand up, it's not a handout. 179 00:08:55,640 --> 00:08:56,120 Speaker 2: That's right. 180 00:08:56,280 --> 00:08:59,240 Speaker 3: Aren't so many of them still say Nope, this is 181 00:08:59,240 --> 00:09:01,840 Speaker 3: what I chose to do in life, and I'll take 182 00:09:01,840 --> 00:09:03,200 Speaker 3: the good times with the bad times. 183 00:09:03,640 --> 00:09:07,520 Speaker 1: True Australians, they are our Soulsis are a phenomenal bunch. 184 00:09:07,520 --> 00:09:09,280 Speaker 1: And I tell you what, doesn't get much tougher than 185 00:09:09,280 --> 00:09:11,800 Speaker 1: those working in the farming industry and some of some 186 00:09:11,840 --> 00:09:15,200 Speaker 1: of those Australians that are hard hit. You know, very 187 00:09:15,200 --> 00:09:17,480 Speaker 1: often it is in regional parts of Australia. I know 188 00:09:17,520 --> 00:09:20,080 Speaker 1: that's a bit of a generalization, but I just reckon, 189 00:09:20,080 --> 00:09:23,640 Speaker 1: there's something different about regional Australians. They're a tough bunch. Well. 190 00:09:23,679 --> 00:09:25,640 Speaker 3: I mean, we take so many things for granted. Our 191 00:09:25,679 --> 00:09:28,760 Speaker 3: city dwellers and I include people live in dah and 192 00:09:29,120 --> 00:09:33,760 Speaker 3: you're an urbanite, but don't assume that just outside that 193 00:09:33,840 --> 00:09:37,360 Speaker 3: they can get mobile phone coverage or internet. I mean, 194 00:09:37,440 --> 00:09:39,400 Speaker 3: we assume so much when we live in a city 195 00:09:39,520 --> 00:09:41,800 Speaker 3: or a big town that a lot of these folk 196 00:09:41,920 --> 00:09:43,720 Speaker 3: just don't get. That's why we have schools of the air, 197 00:09:44,120 --> 00:09:46,800 Speaker 3: that's why we have all these other means of supporting 198 00:09:46,840 --> 00:09:51,040 Speaker 3: people who live in this vast continent come not country, 199 00:09:51,160 --> 00:09:52,679 Speaker 3: continent called Australia. 200 00:09:53,280 --> 00:09:55,440 Speaker 1: Well, I tell you what, Shane Stone, twenty one years 201 00:09:55,480 --> 00:09:58,600 Speaker 1: after being the Chief Minister planning on retiring anytime. 202 00:09:59,120 --> 00:10:01,559 Speaker 2: Wow. Well, I've got a bit of a theory. 203 00:10:02,200 --> 00:10:09,680 Speaker 3: If you retire, you die, and I think that that's. 204 00:10:07,400 --> 00:10:09,720 Speaker 2: That's not good. But I'll tell you the other thing. 205 00:10:10,040 --> 00:10:12,520 Speaker 2: I came up here. Fortunately I was able to go 206 00:10:12,559 --> 00:10:14,760 Speaker 2: to a wake for Kelly Howe. Yeah. That was on 207 00:10:14,800 --> 00:10:16,280 Speaker 2: Monday night. She's a great lady. 208 00:10:16,520 --> 00:10:19,600 Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, Well I'm pleased that you were able to 209 00:10:19,600 --> 00:10:21,319 Speaker 1: do that, and I know that a lot of territories 210 00:10:21,320 --> 00:10:23,000 Speaker 1: were there at that wake and that it was an 211 00:10:23,000 --> 00:10:26,240 Speaker 1: incredibly important thing for people to be able to attend. 212 00:10:26,320 --> 00:10:27,160 Speaker 2: She will be missed. 213 00:10:27,320 --> 00:10:32,880 Speaker 1: Yeah, Shane Stone, the Coordinator General of the National Recovery 214 00:10:32,920 --> 00:10:36,040 Speaker 1: and Resilience Agency. We really appreciate you taking the time 215 00:10:36,080 --> 00:10:37,360 Speaker 1: to come in and have a chat with us today. 216 00:10:37,360 --> 00:10:39,360 Speaker 2: I'm always glad to talk to you. Patie. 217 00:10:39,360 --> 00:10:40,760 Speaker 1: Thank you, Thanks so much.