TOPICS: Victorian lockdown; Australian women on Qatar Airlines flight; AFL and NRL grand finals, AFL women’s and Women’s cricket.
ALLY LANGDON, HOST: To discuss, I'm joined by Senator for the Northern Territory, Malarndirri McCarthy and Gus Worland from Triple M. Nice to talk to you both. Malarndirri, Victoria is in a state of paralysis. Is it fair to blame it all on the Premier?
SENATOR MALARNDIRRI MCCARTHY: Oh, no, of course not. I mean, we've got two months almost to Christmas, Ally, and these guys have done a tremendous job hanging in there, especially when you see what's happening around the globe. We're still not through it as a world population in terms of COVID. And whilst it's incredibly tough there in Melbourne. I would just say this to people in Victoria that you are there, Australians are still very much with you. We've seen what's going on. We know that there's still opportunities. I can give a bit of a shout out for the Northern Territory here and say that if it's getting too much, you can still come up to us in the Northern Territory. We're certainly opening to the regions of Victoria come next week, and we're certainly watching very closely what's happening there. And just saying, hang in there, guys. And also to the school students, Ally, who are doing their VCE in Victoria. You are making great ways forward. Epidemiologists have come out and said this is still a good move by Premier Dan Andrews.
LANGDON: But come on Malarndirri, Melburnians have done every single thing Dan Andrews has asked.
MCCARTHY: That's good, that's good and they should.
LANGDON: But the goalposts the keep moving.
MCCARTHY: Look, we know that they're almost through this, Ally. Of course, it's incredibly disappointing. But when you have epidemiologists who've come out across Australia saying this is an important step, I would say hang in there, you're nearly there. You're gonna get through this. You've got your school students and your families back in terms of education, hang in there, you're nearly there.
LANGDON: Gus, it has plenty of people thinking that contact tracing still isn't up to scratch, that this government can't handle local outbreaks.
GUS WORLAND, TRIPLE M: Look, absolutely. And I understand where the Senator’s coming from and it is so close. But you're taking away hope, you're breaking people's hearts and everyone keeps forgetting about the financial ruin and then what that leads to in terms of people's mental fitness and all the dramas we have around that at the moment. So at some stage, you just got to put a line in the sand and say we're going to open again for all the people that are suffering mentally as much as anything else. It really needs to be done really quickly. We take hope away from people then it really damages everyone. And those numbers in terms of suicide, guys, we've spoken about it every week for the last couple of months. Those numbers keep getting forgotten. We hardly talk about them. So, let's get that state open again and give everyone a little bit of hope so they can move forward together.
LANGDON: Well, the good news is that the thousand or so tests that Dan Andrews was waiting on from the northern suburbs. They've come back. They're all negative. So hopefully we will get an announcement today or tomorrow about reopening. There's something else I want to talk to you both about. It's a very disturbing incident involving 13 Australian women on a Qatar Airlines flight, which was delayed at Doha. And I have to warn people, some viewers will find the details of this story distressing, but it is incredibly important that we talk about it. The women were forced to undergo invasive strip searches and medical inspections in an ambulance on the tarmac after a premature baby was discovered in an airport bathroom. The women were not told why this was happening. Malarndirri, this is an outrageous violation. Can't imagine how distressing.
MCCARTHY: It is totally outrageous. A complete abrogation of responsibility and personal privacy. These women did not deserve to be going through this. And I certainly know that Labor is very supportive, it’s behind the Australian government in expressing at the highest levels our complete and utter outrage at this obscene handling of any woman to be able to go through this invasion of privacy. Naturally, it's an incredibly tragic situation when any person loses a child. But to, to then just drag every single woman that you can possibly see and say, okay, we're going to do this to you, and they don't even know what's going on. All of that is just outrageous. I certainly wouldn't want it to happen to me. I'm sure you want it to happen to you, Ally. No woman anywhere would want this to happen to them without their express permission at all.
LANGDON: And for it not to be treated like a medical incident. For it to be, to assume that every woman is a criminal when something like this happened. Our Department of Foreign Affairs has raised objections with the Qatari authorities, but Gus, what did you think when you heard this? It is unacceptable.
WORLAND: Oh, absolutely I agree with both of you on it. And just imagine it was your mother or your daughter. I've got two beautiful daughters. My wife and mum. Just imagine anyone that I love who's female would have to go through that. I can put a line through that airline and make sure that I'll never, ever fly it again I suppose that's the only way that we can truly sort of get back at people like this. But my heart goes out to every one of those that had to go through that. It's absolutely disgusting.
MCCARTHY: And, Ally, they're going to need counselling. I mean, there's no doubt that all of these women, but in particular our Australian women who are coming back are going to need support through this and I really encourage that there is that kind of support for them.
LANGDON: Well, I mean they have received that support. They've spent two weeks in quarantine. And I know that they have you know, they have been provided with that. But still, recovery, overcoming that is something that's going to, I imagine, take a very long time. I want to talk to you now about the footy, OK? It's a bit of a change of pace, isn't it? But what an extraordinary weekend, both finals defying the pandemic to go ahead in front of wild crowds. I mean, we never thought it was going to happen, did we? We had Richmond defeating Geelong at the Gabba. Melbourne Storm conquered the Panthers at ANZ. Malarndirri, what a weekend, what a season.
MCCARTHY: What a weekend, and look at that, the Tigers got through, Ally, you know I’ve just been pushing for them all the way. I did have to say though I was a bit concerned at halftime, I wondered whether I had to walk away from the telly or not. Good on you Tiges, you got through. And I'm really, really so proud of you. You know, I certainly our Territory lads were in there as well, on both sides with the Geelong Cats. But can I just say too, the resilience of AFL football, but also the rugby league and the players and the women players. We saw the Brisbane Broncos Women's win last night. I just think that this, again, says sports across the country has helped us as a nation trying to get through COVID. And I just, again, point out to our Victorians, you know, well done to the resilience of your football families and teams, for giving the rest of us country that kind of enjoyment, but also a lifeline to get through this incredible year.
LANGDON: Yeah, well said. I was great win, the Broncos over the Roosters in the women's rugby league yesterday, it was great to watch that.
MCCARTHY: Yeah it as awesome.
LANGDON: Gus, how about yourself. I know you were actually out there last night watching the Panthers and the Storm. Highlights?
WORLAND: Yeah. I mean, for me, I suppose Cameron Smith is a highlight, the fact that we still don't know whether he's going to retire or not. And this Panther’s side that have been so dominant all year and only defeated once, just came out and got stage fright I suppose, didn’t get a few calls, and in the end they ended up 22-nil down. They were never going to come back from that, even though they took it right to the last play you always felt that the Storm had it under control. And, you know, I say exactly what the Senator says. Sport has given us some purpose, some belief, something to look forward to it and good on the AFL and the NRL for getting it done. So many people behind the scenes getting that done for us have done. And God knows what we're going to do now, I guess State of Origin is just around the corner.
MCCARTHY: But there's also the AFL women's Gus, that’s coming on in November.
WORLAND: Of Course
LANGDON: There’s still plenty, there’s still plenty.
MCCARTHY: The AFL women's teams are kicking off in November, so I wish them all the best as well.
WORLAND: Absolutely.
LANGDON: Alex will be happy about that. He was a bit despondent this morning that the footy is over, but they still a little bit to go.
MCCARTHY: There’s the women’s cricket. Come on guys, there’s a lot of the women’s sports out there.
LANGDON: Alright guys good to talk to you both.
