DARWIN - 24 June 2021
KATIE WOOLF, HOST: Joining us on the line right now is Labor's Member for Solomon, Luke Gosling. Good morning to you, Luke.
LUKE GOSLING, MEMBER FOR SOLOMON: Good morning, Katie.
WOOLF: Luke, quite a bit on the agenda. First things first, I do want to just take you across to these accusations being made in numerous publications today around Senator Sam McMahon reportedly encouraged to leave the upper house on Tuesday evening after several colleagues raised concerns that she appeared to be disorientated, struggling to walk, barely awake, and was battling to sit upright in her seat. The Sydney Morning Herald reporting that more than ten senators from different political persuasions confirmed that she appeared to be heavily under the influence of alcohol while on the floor of the Senate. And we've certainly put in requests to speak to her. And I know that you are obviously of the opposing party. But Luke, what's been your reaction upon hearing these accusations?
GOSLING: Well, you're right, Katie, I'm from the opposing party. I'm not opposing any Territory representatives here for any political reason. And as your listeners would know, I'm in the House of Representatives, not in the Senate, so I wasn't around when all this happened. And it's a shame that no one sort of wanted to put their name to it. But I've sent a message to Senator McMahon just to wish her well and hope she's okay. I’ve heard she's getting checked out, and I hope she's feeling better soon. But, you know, this is a stressful job, there's no doubt about that. And with the upcoming preselection for the CLP positions and not having the Prime Minister's support, I guess – but having the new Deputy Prime Minister's support, Barnaby Joyce – it’s a pretty difficult time, I guess. And I just wish her well.
WOOLF: Yeah. Look, as does everyone, I think, we all want to make sure that she's okay. But they are certainly some pretty serious allegations. And as I say, we have put in a request to speak to her. We have also heard from her office that she has been to the doctor this morning. So we'll wait and hear whether we're able to get her on the show. Luke, let's move along, because I know that there's plenty happening inside parliament in Canberra. And you are continuing to push for this veterans’ wellbeing centre, where are things at?
GOSLING: Well, unfortunately, Katie, when the budget came down, the money wasn't in there for the wellbeing centre. Having said that, Mates 4 Mates, an organization who won the contract to set up the Top End Veterans Wellbeing Centre, have established a temporary location and they're providing some services, but it's nowhere near where we need to be. And so I spoke yesterday on behalf of Territory veterans and their families, who're saying that that funding needs to be made available so we can set up a dedicated proper veterans’ wellbeing hub in in the Greater Darwin area, and just called on the Government to make those funds available. Now it’s widely rumoured with Barnaby Joyce’s ascension that Darren Chester, the Minister of Veterans Affairs, might be moved on. So I'm also just flagging with the Government that they need to choose a quality minister for that role, not a muppet, and they need to make that funding available to establish the proper wellbeing centre that Territorians deserve.
WOOLF: Yeah, I think it's really important that we do have a veterans’ wellbeing centre here in Darwin. It's something you and I have spoken about on numerous occasions, we’ve spoken about the wellbeing of our veterans and those that are still serving on numerous occasions as well. And it does seem as though we need to be able to provide that support and that safe space, I guess you'd say, for those people.
GOSLING: Yeah, it’s a hub, so it's coordinated services and follow-up. I bumped into former commando veteran Hesston Russell down here in Canberra this week. He did some consultation around the royal commission's terms of reference, over 800 submissions to him and just a staggering amount had difficulties with the mental health summit, some have even gone to great lengths to try and end the pain. So whilst most veterans serve and transition into life well, there's many that just need a bit of support. And bringing it all coordinated through a hub means that they'll get the best possible support and that they won't be allowed to fall through the cracks, and their families will be supported as well. So we need a proper wellbeing centre, as you said, Katie, and we'll just keep pressuring the Government to deliver that.
WOOLF: And Luke, obviously we learned earlier in the week that we're going to have a change of Deputy Prime Minister. We did catch up with the new Deputy Prime Minister, Barnaby Joyce, yesterday. You know, given the fact that he's your opposition, I'm sure it's not going to be a glowing comment. But what are your thoughts on him becoming the deputy PM yet again?
GOSLING: It's a bit of a head-scratcher and it's going to cause some headaches inside the Government. But as long as the Territory gets the results that we want, then I'll judge him on his future actions. He's said that he needs to improve and become a better person. And don’t we all, but there's no doubt that it's that it is destabilising. But what I don't want is more unfulfilled promises. So you can't say, for example, that we're going to have an ag visa, but then not set up dedicated quarantine facilities that will allow us to safely bring in people to work on our mango farms. And that season is going to be on us yet again. And after eight years of this Coalition Government, every year it's the same story of wringing their hands about, you know, how bad it is that we haven't got staff. But they're not doing what we need, i.e. fix the vaccine roll-out and establish more dedicated quarantining, which will allow Territory businesses to thrive. So I hope that it's put to Barnaby in no uncertain terms this weekend.
I understand that Minister Andrews, the Home Affairs Minister, is going to have a look at not only Howard Springs, but head out to Bladin as well to have a look at that and to see whether we can use it to bring people back into this country safely, because we've seen 24 leaks from hotel quarantines down south. And I just really feel for the Territory businesses that are going to have all these people from Sydney cancelling now. And it's quite unnecessary.
WOOLF: Sorry Luke, who did you say was coming to visit this weekend and was going to be going through the Bladin Point facility?
GOSLING: That’s Karen Andrews, the minister that took over from Peter Dutton.
WOOLF: Yeah, and look, you and I, again, you and I have spoken on so many occasions about this. And we caught up with NT Farmers again yesterday. This situation, when it comes to quarantining workers for those farms, it is pretty dire at this point in time. You know, they've recruited, I think, 160-odd people from Vanuatu who would be able to come across, but there is not the capability for them to be able to quarantine on farm, as had been one of the options that had been suggested. You and I had spoken about Bladin Point last Thursday. I know that even having them quarantined at Howard Springs is something that NT Farmers are hoping they might be able to do. But I feel as though this issue is not going to get sorted out in time.
GOSLING: And that would be another big, big failure of the current Government. And I don’t say that as a partisan thing, I say that as, like, we're seeing the evidence, all these cancellations, Melbourne being locked down. Again, the hotel quarantine leaks is unnecessary when you can put so many more people through dedicated, proper, safe quarantine where there's no leaks. Howard Springs is not being used to its full capacity, but the Federal Government needs to say, okay, NT Government, let's look at how we can fill those other spots so some of our businesses get the workforce that they need.
WOOLF: Well, Luke Gosling, Labor's Member for Solomon, good to catch up with you this morning. I really appreciate your time.
GOSLING: Thanks Katie, and have a great weekend.
ENDS
