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Speaker 1: Now we do know this morning is the day the

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Speaker 1: second flight of Ossie Expats arrives in the Northern Territory.

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Speaker 1: The Quantus Dreamliner from India expected to arrive before lunch

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Speaker 1: as I understand it. Joining me on the line to

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Speaker 1: talk more about this and plenty of other things. The

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Speaker 1: Health Minister and also the Tourism ministon Attasha Files.

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Speaker 2: Good morning, Good morning, Katie, Good morning listening Minister.

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Speaker 1: Firstly, how many people arriving on the flight from India today, Katie.

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Speaker 2: I've been briefed this morning by the National Critical Care

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Speaker 2: and tom Response centered as one hundred and eighty two

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Speaker 2: Australians who've been stranded in India on this flight, arriving

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Speaker 2: in about half an hour's time, Katie at Darwin Airport

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Speaker 2: and they'll go through the rath terminal side so they

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Speaker 2: won't have any interaction with members of the public, and

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Speaker 2: then they'll be transported out to Howard Springs as we

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Speaker 2: saw with the flight that arrived from London on Friday.

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Speaker 1: And any babies, any kids on board this time. I

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Speaker 1: know that last one seem to have lots of kids.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, Katie's some really tragic stories and I think when

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Speaker 2: we talk about COVID. You know, it's had devastating impacts

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Speaker 2: and people have been unable to attend family events and

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Speaker 2: see family and friends. But on this flight there is

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Speaker 2: some children that have been caught up for many months

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Speaker 2: overseas without their parents, elderly grandparents. So as well as

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Speaker 2: one hundred and eighty two passengers who will go into quarantine,

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Speaker 2: there will be some family members who have flown into

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Speaker 2: Darwin who will then join their family members in quarantine

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Speaker 2: at Howard Springs for the full two weeks to care

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Speaker 2: for those young children or elderly people.

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Speaker 1: Oh wow, so we've actually got people coming here from

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Speaker 1: interstate to go into quarantine so they can be with

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Speaker 1: their family.

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Speaker 2: Yeah. I'm of the understanding that there's a couple, a few,

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Speaker 2: a very small number, but there is individuals who've flown

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Speaker 2: into Darwin to go into that facility, and they'll support

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Speaker 2: those individuals during the quarantine process. They've been very happy

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Speaker 2: to do that and we've certainly accommodated that.

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Speaker 1: Okay, So one hundred and eighty two arriving on the

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Speaker 1: flight in about thirty minutes time. When's the next flight

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Speaker 1: of Ossie expats arriving from overseas?

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Speaker 2: Katie, I don't have the specific details in front of me,

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Speaker 2: but there is a couple more flights scheduled and as

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Speaker 2: we know from the Prime Minister's announcement, there'll be a

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Speaker 2: number of flights through until March to get around five

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Speaker 2: thousand Australians home from these destinations in South Africa, India

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Speaker 2: and London, Okay.

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Speaker 1: And we caught up with Len Nataras yesterday and we

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Speaker 1: spoke a lot more about the different things that they're

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Speaker 1: doing out there to ensure that everybody stays safe and

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Speaker 1: to ensure that the wider community is as safe as

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Speaker 1: possible as well. I know that there had been a

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Speaker 1: bit of talk over recent weeks and recent months about

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Speaker 1: whether we start testing the wastewater. Is that something that's

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Speaker 1: on the agenda sort of you know, to keep an

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Speaker 1: eye on things, or you know, is it on the cards.

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Speaker 1: I guess as we have more people stay out at

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Speaker 1: Howard Springs.

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Speaker 2: So Katie, I just want to acknowledge all those staff.

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Speaker 2: There's private contractors, there's you know, Northern Territory government officials,

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Speaker 2: there's medical people and of course the National Critical Care

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Speaker 2: and Trauma Response Center, and they're all doing an amazing

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Speaker 2: job working together to keep these individuals safe. In terms

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Speaker 2: of testing wastewater, it's something that has been discussed at

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Speaker 2: a national level about whether we should test our seerage

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Speaker 2: to see if there is any elements of the coronavirus.

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Speaker 2: We do need to be careful in the sense of

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Speaker 2: doing that, Katie, because we have people that are coming

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Speaker 2: in from interstate that it may have had the virus

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Speaker 2: some months ago, and that residual will still be in

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Speaker 2: their system and it could be identified, and we don't

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Speaker 2: want to create a situation where we find it in

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Speaker 2: our wastewater. But we don't have a clear plan around that.

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Speaker 2: So as anyone has any type of respiratory that feeling unwell,

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Speaker 2: they should reach out and get tested. That testing regime

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Speaker 2: is the best thing to keep us safe.

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Speaker 1: So you reckon we I mean, it sounds as though

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Speaker 1: we could have a situation where we do detect COVID

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Speaker 1: in the waste water.

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Speaker 2: I understand Katie that in other areas they have picked

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Speaker 2: up COVID in the wastewater but haven't had active community

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Speaker 2: transmission and so they then had to go away and

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Speaker 2: identify what that is. The gentleman that we had some

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Speaker 2: weeks back that arrived from Melbourne. He'd been cleared of

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Speaker 2: the virus in Melbourne and then it was picked up

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Speaker 2: in one of the tests and it was sort of

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Speaker 2: a false positive so to speak. That type of individual

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Speaker 2: is how you would end up picking up the virus

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Speaker 2: in your wastewater, but it's not necessarily giving you an

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Speaker 2: accurate representation that there is community transmission of coronavirus. So

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Speaker 2: we'll continue to listen to our clinical experts and this

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Speaker 2: is something that is discussed at HPBC regularly.

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Speaker 1: Would it be something good to do though, as sort

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Speaker 1: of a second measure to make sure that we maybe

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Speaker 1: don't have COVID in the community that we're not aware of.

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Speaker 2: The kadi as I said that testing is the best

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Speaker 2: measure right now. Of course, these issues are constantly looked

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Speaker 2: at by a health professionals and if they identify something

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Speaker 2: that we should be undertaking to help us, we of

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Speaker 2: course will implement that.

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Speaker 1: Now, just sort of thinking more with your tourism had

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Speaker 1: on for a moment, I understand that it is actually

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Speaker 1: when you talk about those flights that are coming from

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Speaker 1: the UK, it's actually two and a half hours less

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Speaker 1: is my understanding to fly to Darwin. Then what it

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Speaker 1: is to get to Perth. We know that Perth is

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Speaker 1: traditionally a location where those Quantus flights fly in and

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Speaker 1: out of you know, pre COVID. But given the fact

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Speaker 1: that we're working so closely with Quantus as in the

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Speaker 1: Northern Territory government and the federal government at the moment

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Speaker 1: on this route, do you think that it could actually

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Speaker 1: present opportunity for US post COVID.

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Speaker 2: Certainly, Katie, as we start to see Australia and then

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Speaker 2: some international destinations when it's safe to do so, open up.

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Speaker 2: We would very much work with airlines such as Quantus

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Speaker 2: and say why not keep coming to Darwin. We're a

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Speaker 2: great gateway into Australia, where the gateway into Asia from Australia.

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Speaker 2: So certainly if we can be positive and work through

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Speaker 2: those opportunities, we will do. So.

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Speaker 1: Is it something that's sort of on the agenda at

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Speaker 1: the moment when you do talk with Quantus or not

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Speaker 1: at this stage.

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Speaker 2: Well, at the moment, Katie, we're focused on domestics, so

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Speaker 2: making sure that we have those domestic flights reinstated and

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Speaker 2: that there's opportunities for territorians to get travel within the territory,

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Speaker 2: but also for people into state to get into the

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Speaker 2: destination that they choose, whether it's Alice Springs or Darwin

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Speaker 2: within the Northern Territory. But as we do start to

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Speaker 2: see those international destinations open up again next year, we

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Speaker 2: very much want to use this relationship with Quantas to

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Speaker 2: encourage them to have flights into Darwen internationally.

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Speaker 1: Now talking of you talking of flights in and out

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Speaker 1: of Australia or domestically, we know that it's on the

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Speaker 1: front page of the paper today. Avalon Airport Chief Executive

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Speaker 1: Justin Giddings has been in talks with airlines to open

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Speaker 1: up flights between the Northern Territory and their regional airport,

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Speaker 1: which is of course located fifteen kilometers northeast of Geelong.

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Speaker 1: Is this something that you'd like to see happen.

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Speaker 2: So, Katie, that would be a commercial arrangement between Darwin

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Speaker 2: Airport and that Avalon Airport and also for the operators,

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Speaker 2: So whether it was Jetstar or Virgin or Quantas, those

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Speaker 2: flight operators they would make that commercial decision. But of

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Speaker 2: course as a government, we would be very supportive of

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Speaker 2: new air routes coming into the territory and if we

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Speaker 2: can assist, we certainly would do.

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Speaker 1: So all right, well, we're going to catch up with

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Speaker 1: him in about fifteen minutes time, so we'll find out

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Speaker 1: where these discussions are at when we talk to Justin Giddings,

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Speaker 1: are the CEO there of the Avalon Airport. Still on tourism,

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Speaker 1: let's talk about the vouchers. I understand that yesterday another

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Speaker 1: round of vouchers was announced. How's this round going to work?

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Speaker 2: So, Katie, the next round of the tourism vouchers will

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Speaker 2: kick off next Monday evening at eight pm. So start

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Speaker 2: thinking about where you'd like to go in the territory

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Speaker 2: and get ready to jump online and book your vouchers.

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Speaker 2: And what this does is you can get an upfront

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Speaker 2: discount of fifty percent of the total booking up to

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Speaker 2: two hundred dollars. And so these vouchers, you apply for them,

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Speaker 2: you're granted a voucher and you've got fourteen days to

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Speaker 2: make a booking with one of our tourism Tourism Top

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Speaker 2: End or Tourism Central Australia. But this round of vouchers

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Speaker 2: will also see a bonus claim and so that's where

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Speaker 2: if you travel over four hundred kilometers for one trip,

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Speaker 2: you will get a further two hundred dollars return to

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Speaker 2: you from that, so really encouraging people. We saw the

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Speaker 2: success in the first round. It's generated over nine point

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Speaker 2: six million dollars into an industry that's been particularly devastated

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Speaker 2: by COVID. We're trying to get territories to travel a

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Speaker 2: little further. The Christmas holidays for kids are coming up,

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Speaker 2: so Central Australia really plan that getaway and take advantage

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Speaker 2: of this opportunity.

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Speaker 1: So yesterday we did hear from Tourism Central Australia CEO

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Speaker 1: Daniel Rochford. We spoke about a number of things, but

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Speaker 1: we know that there has been a number of incidents

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Speaker 1: of crime related issues and then on Friday a group

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Speaker 1: of views allegedly surrounded a van with tourists inside before

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Speaker 1: allegedly indecently assaulting them. Take a listen to what Daniel

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Speaker 1: had to say yesterday.

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Speaker 3: We're deeply concerned, Katie, around the current situation and its

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Speaker 3: potential impact on the tourism industry. There's no doubt about that.

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Speaker 2: We've certainly been.

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Speaker 3: Making our voice heard to the government and the government

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Speaker 3: has recently launched a task Force Viper down here, which

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Speaker 3: is about really strengthening the police efforts on the street,

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Speaker 3: and that's warmly welcome, but we all have to get

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Speaker 3: into a room together. They alla Springstown Council, the Northern

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Speaker 3: Territory Government, all the providers, all the organizations have skin

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Speaker 3: in the game here because this is not an easy

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Speaker 3: issue to fix and we all have to work together.

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Speaker 1: Do you feel as though that's happening at the moment

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Speaker 1: or does more need to happen in that space.

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Speaker 3: I think there's a lot of people with a lot

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Speaker 3: of positive interest to try and fix this issue, but

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Speaker 3: I think more has to be done to work together

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Speaker 3: and be more collaborative, and that's across governments and we

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Speaker 3: need to make sure that we involve the relative, the

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Speaker 3: relevant business associations and also all the other non government

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Speaker 3: organizations that have skin in the game on this issue.

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Speaker 1: Minister, are you concerned about the impact that these incidents

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Speaker 1: are having on tourism in Central Australia.

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Speaker 2: Katie, there's no silver boot solutions to solving crime, and

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Speaker 2: of course any incident is concerning. We certainly acknowledge that

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Speaker 2: it takes hard work and persistence. We've got those. As

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Speaker 2: Doniel mentioned, Strikeforce Viper is on the ground in our

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Speaker 2: springs and understand that they're already getting results. We've got

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Speaker 2: more police which will hit the streets of Ala Springs

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Speaker 2: in the coming week. So we certainly need to work

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Speaker 2: with the community and particularly those tourism operators to make

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Speaker 2: sure that there is a safe visitor experience for people

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Speaker 2: when in Central Australia.

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Speaker 1: Now, I do want to ask you a question has

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Speaker 1: just come in from one of our listeners. It says, Hi, Katie,

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Speaker 1: can you please ask the Health minister why workers are

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Speaker 1: wearing gloves and only one set of gloves them washing

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Speaker 1: their gloves while checking domestic passenger border passes at the airport.

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Speaker 1: This is extremely poor hygiene. No clean pens for people

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Speaker 1: to sign the pen should have clean pen container and

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Speaker 1: dirty pen container and nowhere for people to discard masks

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Speaker 1: in a controlled infection control bin. And I mean, what's

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Speaker 1: your response to that? Is that your understanding?

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Speaker 2: So, Katie, when I flew to Alice Springs recently, I

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Speaker 2: was most impressed with the public and Environmental Health and

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Speaker 2: the teams that were working in terms of the hygiene

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Speaker 2: and the precautions that were taking place. But those comments

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Speaker 2: are concerning, so ill of course take those away and

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Speaker 2: ask the department to make sure that all those measures

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Speaker 2: are in place to keep people safe and that we're

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Speaker 2: not missing something minor.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I've got to say, when I flew back from Kansas, well,

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Speaker 1: same situation. I thought that it was really being very

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Speaker 1: well managed. But I'm a bit the same as you.

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Speaker 1: I think if there are some changes that need to

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Speaker 1: come into play, well obviously they should. Now. Finally, I

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Speaker 1: do just want to ask you. I know that this

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Speaker 1: isn't your portfolio, but we know the State of the

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Speaker 1: State report was released yesterday by COMSEK the NT last again,

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Speaker 1: the Chief Minister is calling us the comeback capital, but

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Speaker 1: these reports really demonstrate that we've got a long way

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Speaker 1: to go. How long is it going to take for

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Speaker 1: us really to become the comeback capital?

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Speaker 2: So, Katie, I think it's important to acknowledge that this

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Speaker 2: report compares the Northern Territory to its own tenure average,

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Speaker 2: which obviously includes that IMPEX construction boom. So we need

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Speaker 2: to make sure that when we're comparing the figures that

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Speaker 2: we're not sort of you know, the Highest Mountain, which

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Speaker 2: was a significant project. We certainly acknowledge we need to

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Speaker 2: diversify the economy so that we don't see that boom

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Speaker 2: and bus cycle in the territory. And we've seen that

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Speaker 2: through projects in the past such as the railway and

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Speaker 2: Philip's kind of co But we're certainly building off the

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Speaker 2: fact that we've kept the community safe from coronavirus. It

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Speaker 2: means that we've got the opportunity to drive economic activity

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Speaker 2: within our communities so that we can have that economic

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Speaker 2: prosperity as well.

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Speaker 1: I mean taking that into account and us comparing ourselves

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Speaker 1: to sort of ten years ago, does it show though

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Speaker 1: that we've made any improvement from us two years ago?

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Speaker 2: So what it is, it's a ten year average. And

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Speaker 2: so the economic update release recently it shows that we

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Speaker 2: are expected to have the strongest economic growth in the

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Speaker 2: country next year and we currently have the second lowest

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Speaker 2: unemployment rate in the country. So there is some promising

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Speaker 2: figures within that and so we certainly need to build

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Speaker 2: upon that.

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Speaker 1: All right, Health Minister and also Minister for Tourism, Natasha Fhiles,

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Speaker 1: we always appreciate your time. Thanks so much for having

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Speaker 1: a chat with us today.

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Speaker 2: Thank you