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Speaker 1: Well, we like to try and cover the issues right

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Speaker 1: across the Northern Territory and concerns being raised at the

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Speaker 1: moment in the Northern Territory's largest Aboriginal community. Now we

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Speaker 1: know that there is and there has continued to be

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Speaker 1: a push from the Colp government of being tough on crime,

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Speaker 1: but there are concerns that that really isn't being followed through.

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Speaker 1: In the Bush, we know that Man and Greeter is

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Speaker 1: facing funding cuts to its private security guards. That is

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Speaker 1: according to a report by Jane Barden from the ABC Overnight.

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Speaker 1: It's understood private securities helped to protect businesses and homes

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Speaker 1: in the community for the last two years following a

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Speaker 1: major increase in property crime. Now it was funded by

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Speaker 1: local organizations and the former Labor government, but it's set

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Speaker 1: to end this month. Now. Joining me on the line

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Speaker 1: is the Member for our Refura, Manuel Brown.

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Speaker 2: Good morning, Manual, Good morning, Katie, Good morning listeners.

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Speaker 1: Lovely to have you on the show. Manuel. How did

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Speaker 1: the private security come about in the first place in

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Speaker 1: Man and.

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Speaker 2: Grater Oh between well five years before twenty twenty two.

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Speaker 2: You know we've been having regular break in nightly like

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Speaker 2: two or three at night. The community came up with

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Speaker 2: a plan to pay obviously get the security programing and

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Speaker 2: fund half of the program and then as a community

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Speaker 2: and a collective we came up with this and it

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Speaker 2: has definitely you know, like we've only had three break

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Speaker 2: three incidents in the last two years three years.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, right, so it's had a huge impact by the

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Speaker 1: sounds of it, manual.

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Speaker 2: Absolutely, you know, it's about the peace of mind of

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Speaker 2: our work is flying, fly up more of you know

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Speaker 2: that are coming and delivering essential services out in this

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Speaker 2: big community.

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Speaker 1: Well, and the locals too. I would imagine, like everybody

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Speaker 1: wants to feel safe. I know, you've got plenty of

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Speaker 1: elderly people that live in the community. The thing you

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Speaker 1: want is for anybody to feel worried that they're going

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Speaker 1: to be broken into or that they're going to be

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Speaker 1: you know, harassed by you know, by people doing the

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Speaker 1: wrong thing.

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Speaker 2: Yeah. Absolutely, So this we work with the I mean

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Speaker 2: the canine and and the patrols have been have been

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Speaker 2: mainly based around the big orcs and the and the

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Speaker 2: and the workshops and a couple of the shops and

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Speaker 2: then but they do a drive around detect the rest

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Speaker 2: of the community and in conjunction with a night patrol

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Speaker 2: keep people safe.

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Speaker 1: Man, you'll talk us through how it's sort of gone

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Speaker 1: over the last few years as well with those with

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Speaker 1: the private security. Have they sort of provided that assistance

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Speaker 1: as well, you know to the police I guess in

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Speaker 1: some ways of patrolling the areas.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely, you know they've they've all these orbs on

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Speaker 2: the ground. Well, we've only got you know, between eight

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Speaker 2: to twelve police at any given time that are that

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Speaker 2: are dealing with the three thousand class community population. Every

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Speaker 2: all need to work together and the elders, you know,

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Speaker 2: we've got to come up with a common ground on

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Speaker 2: how to deal with youth and unrest in the community.

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Speaker 2: So that's that's obviously with the numbers that I've just

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Speaker 2: said earlier, where we've only had three break ins and

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Speaker 2: then familiar unrest is dealt with swiftly. They're definitely working

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Speaker 2: together and harmoniously.

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Speaker 1: Manuel. How much has it been costing and who's been

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Speaker 1: stumping up the funds to pay for it?

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Speaker 2: Well, it's it's a six hundred thousand dollars a year

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Speaker 2: a project, but the Yorks year they found half of it,

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Speaker 2: so three hundred on average, three hundred thousand is split

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Speaker 2: between the services on the ground and good faith to

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Speaker 2: try and bring the government to help us, you know

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Speaker 2: halfway through.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, and so manual has it been like was it initial?

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Speaker 1: Was it an initiative as well? Like to begin with

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Speaker 1: that elders and community leaders wanted to have happened so that,

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Speaker 1: you know, so that you had that calm in the community.

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Speaker 2: Yeah. Look, we we want to develop rapport and good

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Speaker 2: relationships with our visiting fly and fly out service workers.

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Speaker 2: You know, we've got help help you know, professional coming

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Speaker 2: by themselves living in quarters, We've got contractors coming by

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Speaker 2: them leaving their family. We don't want them to leave

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Speaker 2: to live in Manu Griter and have that worry. Yeah,

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Speaker 2: and we're having staff retention was the biggest issue in

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Speaker 2: twenty twenty two, where people wanted to just leave and

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Speaker 2: sick of it. And because because an indigenous community, it's

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Speaker 2: all about developing rapport. We wanted the same mob, the

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Speaker 2: same doctors to be there because we know them. You know,

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Speaker 2: It's that simple.

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Speaker 1: So where too from now? From here? I guess Manuel, like,

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Speaker 1: what are you hearing from the CEO Peek government. By

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Speaker 1: the sounds of it, the funding is not going to

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Speaker 1: be continued and you know what kind of impact is

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Speaker 1: that going to have if if they're not able to

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Speaker 1: continue to provide half of the funding.

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Speaker 2: Well, yeah, well it's it's a big worry, you know,

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Speaker 2: like I said earlier, it's three there were three bacons tonight.

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Speaker 2: We don't know is that how that's just going to

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Speaker 2: impact our youth. We we have with every all coming

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Speaker 2: together soon we're going to have a chat about trying

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Speaker 2: to put a we submit obviously another proposal you know,

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Speaker 2: to the government and hopefully they come to the party.

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Speaker 1: Yeah. I mean, do you think that the government's prioritizing

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Speaker 1: tackling crime in urban areas over some of our remote communities.

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Speaker 2: Yes, I think, you know, they've got to think outside

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Speaker 2: of the Stuart Highway is what my thoughts are have.

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Speaker 2: But we've got a big community outside of you know,

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Speaker 2: Port Keats and Meningrita and you know, all of our

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Speaker 2: all of our issues here dealt with with with the conjunction,

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Speaker 2: with the help of police, for the help of the elders,

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Speaker 2: and with the help of make Patrol and the security

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Speaker 2: who are keeping you know, this place in check. So

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Speaker 2: I thank then, but you know, when this service go

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Speaker 2: we don't know what sort of effect it'll have.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, oh, look, you know from the sounds of it,

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Speaker 1: it's had a really positive impact. And you know a

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Speaker 1: lot of our listeners know my mum lives in Man

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Speaker 1: and Greta. I know that she has said it's had

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Speaker 1: a really positive impact. I know, you know, there's there's

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Speaker 1: others other community leaders that have said that it's it's

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Speaker 1: you know, it's been a really good thing for the

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Speaker 1: community of Man and Greta. So I hope that there

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Speaker 1: is able to be some further discussions on this, on

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Speaker 1: this situation, manual, have you any word on whether you

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Speaker 1: might be able to meet with the Minister responsible or

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Speaker 1: or whether you know you might be able to continue

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Speaker 1: to progress this in some way.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, we're gonna We're definitely going to try and try

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Speaker 2: and try and reach out and come together and try

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Speaker 2: another plan. But hopefully the ministers do come to have

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Speaker 2: a chat and we can say how you know these

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Speaker 2: are these are you know, these are individuals mostly from

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Speaker 2: services in these in the that we are protecting that

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Speaker 2: are coming and working in Abergaal communities. You know, the

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Speaker 2: community want the same people and want to look after them.

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Speaker 2: You don't want them leaving communities for the sour taste.

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Speaker 1: Hey, Manuel, before I let you go this morning, just

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Speaker 1: on another matter, I know the Minister for Indigenous Australian's

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Speaker 1: Melanderry McCarthy was in Managrada yesterday launching a national strategy

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Speaker 1: for food security and remote Communities for the next ten years.

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Speaker 1: The government committing fifty million dollars towards subsidizing at least

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Speaker 1: thirty essential items in around one hundred and fifty stores.

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Speaker 1: How important is this for man and Greta.

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Speaker 2: Oh yeah, it definitely goes a long way with the

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Speaker 2: cost of living out in remote areas. We're still getting

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Speaker 2: the list of the essential items, but definitely showing on

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Speaker 2: our shelves now. You know, you've got the basics like

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Speaker 2: the milk, the sugar, the flour and meat you know,

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Speaker 2: getting reduced which is making a huge impact on the community.

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Speaker 1: Well that is good. I mean everybody wants to be

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Speaker 1: able to access good food at a reasonable cost. It's

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Speaker 1: bloody expensive at the moment, isn't it.

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Speaker 2: Manual Yeah, it's very expensive.

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Speaker 1: Well, yeah, I was going to say, particularly for you guys,

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Speaker 1: for anybody living in a remote community. You know, the

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Speaker 1: added cost of transport and all that sort of thing.

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Speaker 1: So I think it is a good move. Manuel, really

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Speaker 1: good to talk to you this morning. Mate. Keep us

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Speaker 1: up to date and let us know what happens with

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Speaker 1: this security or if there is any If there is

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Speaker 1: any changes, yep.

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Speaker 2: I'll be going around and having a chat with all

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Speaker 2: the services and we go forward from here. But thank

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Speaker 2: you Katie for having me on anytime.

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Speaker 1: Thank you so much for your time this morning.

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Speaker 2: Manu.

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Speaker 1: Oh see you