Territory Alliance to convene ‘COVID-19 summit’ to workout plan to deal with pandemic

Territory Alliance would convene a “COVID-19 summit and inquiry” and call government agencies at NT and Commonwealth level, along with non-government and Aboriginal bodies to “lay down a blueprint” on dealing with the virus.

TERRITORY Alliance would convene a “COVID-19 summit and inquiry” and call government agencies at NT and Commonwealth level, along with non-government and Aboriginal bodies to “lay down a blueprint” on dealing with the virus in the short to medium term.

Putting the pandemic at the top of its health policy, to be released today, Territory Alliance would, as a priority, “conduct a forensic examination to ascertain the efficacy of all decisions made by the government and health authorities” in relation to public safety.

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Territory Alliance Leader Terry Mills. Picture GLENN CAMPBELL

Mr Mills also questioned why the NT “continued to allow people from NSW” in when other jurisdictions have locked that state out.

Greater metropolitan Sydney, population 4.8 million, remains a hotspot under the NT’s rules, which means half the population of NSW can’t come in without spending 2 weeks at a quarantine facility.

Territory Alliance’s health policy also includes a focus on providing “mobile primary health care” by creating a network of teams to support existing health teams in remote areas.

Within the first hundred days of a Territory Alliance led government, the party has promised to commence “sector-wide consultation” for a disability strategy that would look to tailor services to the needs of each community.

The party has also promised to build a new hospital in Alice Springs by 2032, with planning to begin once they’re in government via 12 to 24 months of community consultation.

The location and scope of works will then be decided and thus the cost of building the hospital is yet to be determined.

Comparatively, the 116-bed Palmerston Regional Hospital cost more than $200 million to build. Alice Springs Hospital as it stands has 186-beds and is nearly 50 years old.

“Territory Alliance will work with the Commonwealth to increase specialist mental health capacity for acute and emergency mental health presentations,” Mr Mills said.

“The current Alice Springs Hospital … lacks the capacity to expand on its current site to cope with the growing health needs of the people of Central Australia.