KATIE WOOLF, HOST: The new youth hub has been earmarked for the old fire station at Casuarina. It's pitched to help curb antisocial behaviour by providing a safe place for youth to go. The Federal and Northern Territory Governments are funding the project. And here to tell us a little bit more about it is the Member for Solomon, Luke Gosling. Good morning to you, Luke.

LUKE GOSLING, MEMBER FOR SOLOMON: Morning, Katie. How are you?

WOOLF: Yeah, really well. Now, Luke, what services and support will this hub provide?

GOSLING: A whole range of services and supports, Katie. It was a massive priority for me in the election to be able to commit to a youth engagement hub for the northern suburbs. As your listeners would understand, the Youth Shak was sold off by its owners some time ago and we've got a McDonald’s there at the moment up in Casuarina. So we really needed a new and updated and importantly co-designed youth engagement hub. And when I say co-designed, I mean of course there are people in non-for-profit in the charity sector, in government who know a lot about providing youth services, but co-designed because the kids need to be involved in the design of those services and they'll be a great guide. The Youth Minister, Lauren Moss, when we announced the old Casuarina fire station site, said that that in-depth consultation is happening. And when I was at the Casuarina Senior College graduation on Friday night – and well done to those young adults, really, now, going out into the into the world – when I spoke with them they were really keen as well to be part of that co-design process.

So to answer your question, some of the services will come from those consultations, but we already know what works and what a lot of the kids need is a safe place to go. They want to be safe at home. It certainly isn't safe on the streets, but it needs to be attractive for them to go there. And while they're there, there’ll be mentors there, providing that support with them about what they're doing, where they're at in life, how the family situation is, what supports might be needed to be provided there, what services the young person might need. And they might be provided by Government or they might be provided by the not-for-profit sector, but really sort of getting around, and where necessary, just working really intensely with a young person to make sure one, that they’re safe, two, that they've got some hope and prospects for life by getting them on the right track, whether it be education-wise or whether it be into work.

WOOLF: So where exactly— I mean, it's the old fire station, as I understand it. How exactly did you determine or did you decide on that site?

GOSLING: That's a question for Lauren Moss. Because it was her department that went through that process of working out where the best place that is available. Obviously, you can't put it anywhere. It needs to be available crown land. The reason that it's available, actually, is because as well as the $5 million I got committed for the youth engagement hub, I also got $1 million committed for the Men's Shed. So the Darwin Men's Shed are currently in the old Casuarina fire station. So we're going to build them a new Men’s Shed that they'll be able to move into, so then we can bulldoze the old Casuarina fire station. It does have asbestos in it, so that'll take a bit of time to clean up, but then we can crack on with building the new facility. But yeah, the local community has been informed and I think they're going to be really supportive of it, given that we all know that kids need options, particularly for school. And this engagement hub is going to provide a lot of outlets for kids who might not have the support at home that they need.

WOOLF: Well, look, we are going to catch up with the Men's Shed a little bit later this morning and see where they’re at with a new location and that kind of thing. And also with that funding now, in terms of the anti-social behaviour that we're experiencing around that Casuarina area at the moment, Luke, do you think this is going to reduce that?

GOSLING: I do. I really do. There were there were critics of the old Youth Shak. But to be honest, as good as the volunteers were in there, there was not a facility that provided a meal and some social support from the staff and volunteers that worked there. But it was old and it was not fit for purpose. So this facility will keep kids safe while they're there with trained adults working with them to help them with whatever issues they may have, which obviously keeps them away from hanging around Casuarina. But also they will know that if they go to Casuarina, if they're in trouble, you know, they don't want to miss out on going to the engagement hub. I'm not saying that there will always be that sort of punishment model, of course, but it will be obviously incumbent on those that are chosen by the NT Government to run the youth engagement hub that it is a safe place. But it's more than proactive, it's pre-emptive. It's making sure that kids who are at risk of being on the streets have got somewhere else to go. And I think in doing that, it's going to stop a slide where kids might fall in with the wrong crowd and go the wrong way.

WOOLF: And so obviously the Northern Territory Government is going to determine who will operate it. How soon do you reckon it's going to open?

GOSLING: Oh, as soon as soon as humanly possible. It is a massive focus and priority for Lauren Moss. We announced at the fire station the location, we're cracking on with DIPL to make sure – what we've been able to do is ascertain that the old Darwin North RSL site, where there's going to be supported accommodation for not only veterans but for first responders that need that supported accommodation if they're a risk of homelessness or they just need somewhere to go just to reset. Co-located there, we’ve got land there for the Men's Shed. Now, we need to crack on to ascertain exactly the space there for the Men’s Shed, and we're working with Brian on that. And then he can start his build. We can get all their equipment out of the old Casuarina fire station, establish them in Marrara, and then we can crack on with the build so, well, as quickly as possible.

WOOLF: And we'll catch up with the Men’s Shed at about 10.45 this morning. I do want to ask you before I let you go, we know the Federal Government, we know the Northern Territory Government, I should say, is proposing these changes will updating the anti-discrimination laws and they're pushing through this week. It looks as though they're going to push through this week, much to the concern of different religious schools and also religious groups in the Northern Territory. Do you support these changes?

GOSLING: There’s a number of really positive changes in this bill that will prevent discrimination against people of faith and through the introduction, for example, of anti-vilification protections. And we support them as Federal Labor. And you will remember, Katie, we've had lots of debate about this federally. What is happening federally for Labor and we're now the current federal government, is we said that we would protect teachers and other staff in religious schools from discrimination, but we also maintain the right of those schools to preference people of their own faith in the selection of their own staff. So that is our position. And what I can tell you is earlier this month, the Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, has asked the Australian Law Reform Commission to review religious exemptions for religious schools in federal anti-discrimination law. Now we'll get that advice from the Law Reform Commission in April, and that'll be the crucial first step in coming up and following through on our commitment to extend anti-discrimination protections to more Australians through legislation later this year

WOOLF: Should the Territory Government be holding off until the Federal Government has done that?

GOSLING: That's an option for them to do when it comes to that, and that's a decision that they'll make—

WOOLF: So they said this morning that they're not going to wait until the Federal Government's done that. Do you think that's the right move?

GOSLING: Well, it would allow them to see what the very experienced people at the Law Reform Commission come up with. But also, legislation can always change in the future if there's a review that federally there's an alignment that makes sense. But that's a decision for them to make. The other thing they can do, of course, Katie, is listen to what some of their own members in the community are saying about religious education and the culture that not only people from that religion, but people from perhaps no religion see as what they want for their kids, because of the culture that is provided. And I think there's still then an opportunity and I'm sure they're doing this, is having a conversation about how do we get the balance right between protecting individuals and their rights, but also not discriminating against religious and faith-based schools in what they're trying to do as well. So I think there's a balance there to be struck. And I wish them all the best in their deliberations. I think it's important to not only respect the faith-based communities. After all, they teach about one third of the Territory's kids. I think there is an opportunity to get that balance right. And I know those discussions are happening at the moment.

WOOLF: Do you think that that legislation currently as it sits, do you think that it does respect those religious schools and people's religious freedoms?

GOSLING: You know, I haven't seen the latest version of where they're at. But all I'll say, Katie, is that it's important to get the balance right. The cultures of schools are derived from a number of things, but one of those is obviously in choosing their own staff. And for example, the Bishop of Darwin in the Northern Territory, the Catholic Bishop, I should say, has made it clear that they employ people from a range of backgrounds and diversities and sexual orientations and so forth. So they are respectful in education facilities. I think what their point is, is we want to have the ability in our own schools to select the staff that will meet our charter and our responsibility to the kids and the parents who send their kids there. So I haven't seen the most up-to-date version, but I know there's conversations happening because there's many members of not only the NT Government and the crossbench, but there's people of goodwill that just want to get this balance right. So I wish them all well with their discussions today.

WOOLF: Well, Luke Gosling, the federal member for Solomon, good to speak with you. Actually, before I let you go, Baz wanted me to ask, he called through just a couple of moments ago and wanted me to ask, “where are things at with the petrol prices and trying to bring them down?”

GOSLING. Good question. Of particularly distress is for people who have vehicles that need diesel because the price of that is just unbelievable and it's hard to reconcile. And I know the answers that I've been getting down here around that there's less production of it because there's been less fuel during the pandemic, etc. But that doesn't make it any easier when you're trying to fill a car. And I know that, and I know there's a lot of hurt there. What we've done is talk to the ACCC about this as part of a bigger discussion that we're having with the gas companies and the energy providers. And we will step in and determine prices that they must set if that's needed. We've said that we'll do that before Christmas. Now, that's gas in terms of running our economy and running industry. When it comes to fuel, though, there is a firm commitment and a determination in Federal Labor to make sure that the gouging stops. We'll give the ACCC everything that they can, but the ACCC can't do to it all. We know that. Where they can flag is where there's unconscionable profiteering behaviour. And we've made it clear that we will not tolerate that gouging.

WOOLF: We'll leave it there. Thank you, as always, for your time Luke Gosling.