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Speaker 1: Well, it is just on twenty five minutes after twelve

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Speaker 1: o'clock and if you're wondering what I'm doing back on air,

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Speaker 1: as you would have heard throughout the morning, confusion has

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Speaker 1: rained over whether Darwin is going to be included in

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Speaker 1: these half priced flights or not. Now we have had

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Speaker 1: on air this morning the Federal Minister Dan Teen who

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Speaker 1: said that it was going to go ahead. We then

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Speaker 1: had a message from the Prime Minister's office saying that

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Speaker 1: there've been confusion and it was a different program that

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Speaker 1: Dan Ten was talking about. But I think that the

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Speaker 1: audio really speaks for itself. If you missed that interview

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Speaker 1: with the Federal Minister Dantean earlier today, take a listen.

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Speaker 1: They're airs Rock and Alice Springs are included on that list.

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Speaker 1: Our understanding is that Darwin isn't at this stage. Is

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Speaker 1: that correct?

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Speaker 2: No, Darwin is one of the locations that we we've

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Speaker 2: also identified and so it will be a beneficiary as well.

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Speaker 2: So the Northern territory is very well covered by this

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Speaker 2: by this package.

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Speaker 1: Darwin wasn't on that list that has come through to us.

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Speaker 1: But by the sounds of it, what you're saying is

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Speaker 1: that people will be able to travel to Darwin.

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Speaker 2: There is and if you go on to the Department

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Speaker 2: of Transite Transport website you will see that Darwin is listed.

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Speaker 2: So it says where the TANS program, which is the

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Speaker 2: travel Assistance Program, will reduce the cost of flying to

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Speaker 2: the following initial regions Adelaide, Broom, Darwin, Great Ocean Road, Hobart, etc.

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Speaker 2: So it's there on the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional

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Speaker 2: Development and Communications website. What we gave initially was a

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Speaker 2: list of the destinations as examples, but quite clearly Darwin

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Speaker 2: is part of them. So you've done well in the NT.

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Speaker 1: And well we thought that we had done incredibly well.

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Speaker 1: We're all feeling pretty happy about the fact that Darwin

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Speaker 1: was indeed going to be included on this list. But

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Speaker 1: then throughout the morning, as I said, we then received

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Speaker 1: a message from the Prime Minister's office saying Tan was

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Speaker 1: talking about the fact we already subsidize roots to Darwin

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Speaker 1: through the RAMS slash Dance program. Now there's been a

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Speaker 1: lot of anger following on from that development and a

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Speaker 1: lot of people wondering why on earth Darwin has not

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Speaker 1: been included on this list. But Senator Sam McMahon joins

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Speaker 1: me on the line. Right now, good morning or good afternoon,

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Speaker 1: I should say, Senator, yes.

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Speaker 3: Good afternoon, Katie. Fantastic for you to come back on

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Speaker 3: air and talk to me about this important issue. And

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Speaker 3: I have some absolutely fantastic news for you. I have

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Speaker 3: literally just got off the phone to the Deputy Prime

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Speaker 3: Minister Michael McCormack and he has told he has assured

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Speaker 3: me that Darwin will now be included. So that is

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Speaker 3: fantastic news for Darwen and fantastic news for the Northern Territory.

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Speaker 1: So Senator, you are confirming for us right now and

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Speaker 1: for the tourism industry that Darwin is going to be

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Speaker 1: included on these half priced flights.

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Speaker 3: That's that is correct, Katie. I spoke to the Deputy

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Speaker 3: Prime Minister last night about it when he told me

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Speaker 3: about Ularu and Alice Springs and I said, you know that, Minister,

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Speaker 3: that's fantastic news for Alice Springs and for southern Northern Territory,

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Speaker 3: but what about Darwin And he said, oh, well, we'll

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Speaker 3: consider Darwin in future announcements and I said no, I

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Speaker 3: said that's not good enough. Look in the Northern Territory

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Speaker 3: we only have three airports that people from interstate can

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Speaker 3: fly into, and you've picked two of them and you've

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Speaker 3: left one out. That's not fair. Well, so he obviously

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Speaker 3: considered what I said overnight and he has confirmed to

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Speaker 3: me just now that Darwin will be included in the

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Speaker 3: half price fares as a destination.

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Speaker 1: Now, I want to be really clear here because I

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Speaker 1: know that you know that we obviously heard from from

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Speaker 1: Dan Tien, the Federal Tourism Minister, earlier today. He said

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Speaker 1: that yes, we would be included, but then it seemed

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Speaker 1: that there was backtracking from the PM's office. So I

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Speaker 1: want to make this really clear, Senator. What you're saying

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Speaker 1: is that we are going to be able to have

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Speaker 1: a situation where Darwin will be included on the list

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Speaker 1: of locations that other Australians can travel to at half

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Speaker 1: price fares as part of the initiative which has been

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Speaker 1: announced this morning.

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Speaker 3: That's that's correct, Katie. That is the assurance that I

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Speaker 3: have secured directly from the Deputy Prime Minister.

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Speaker 1: Well, Senator, we are very pleased to hear that. Are

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Speaker 1: we going to get it in writing pretty soon so

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Speaker 1: that we can make sure that all of those tourism

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Speaker 1: operators can breathe easy.

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Speaker 3: Yep, absolutely, Katie. I will have that in writing. Like said,

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Speaker 3: I've got a personal assurance from the Deputy Prime Minister.

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Speaker 3: He's a man of his word. I know there was

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Speaker 3: confusion this morning. There was a cabinet meeting on all morning,

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Speaker 3: which is why I haven't been able to get hold

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Speaker 3: of him until now. He's been locked away in the

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Speaker 3: cabinet meeting, so that's why we couldn't get clarification. But

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Speaker 3: I'm proud to say that I was the first person

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Speaker 3: that he called when he stepped out of that meeting

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Speaker 3: and said to me, yes, you have secured Darwin to

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Speaker 3: be on that list as a destination for half priced fairs.

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Speaker 1: Well, I got to tell you, I'm very pleased to

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Speaker 1: hear that, because I tell you what, we were so

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Speaker 1: excited this morning when we spoke to Dan Tian and

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Speaker 1: heard that Darwin was on that list, and then when

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Speaker 1: it seemed that there was a backtracking, our hearts broke

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Speaker 1: when we spoke to Glenn Hinley from Tourism Top End

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Speaker 1: and heard just how severely this would impact our tourism

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Speaker 1: operators if they're not included. So Senator, I tell you

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Speaker 1: what I think we'll all be breathing easier, but we'll

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Speaker 1: probably all be breathing a bit easier if we can

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Speaker 1: just see it in writing. I know that sounds a

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Speaker 1: bit dodgy, but I just want to make sure we've

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Speaker 1: got it there in black and white.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, absolutely, having to see and agree with you, Katie,

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Speaker 3: that will occur, and yeah, I'm extremely happy. Like said,

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Speaker 3: I'm sorry I couldn't come on and clarify the situation

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Speaker 3: earlier this morning, but they are all locked away in

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Speaker 3: a cabinet meeting, so I got onto you as soon

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Speaker 3: as I could.

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Speaker 1: Well. Senator Sam McMahon, I really appreciate you getting in

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Speaker 1: contact with us and letting us know this. As I've said,

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Speaker 1: we don't usually jump on air after midday, but as

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Speaker 1: far as I'm concerned, we need to make sure and

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Speaker 1: we needed to talk to you to make sure that

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Speaker 1: Darwin was included on this list. Thank you so very

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Speaker 1: much for your time today.

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Speaker 3: Absolutely, you're very welcome.

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Speaker 1: Thanks Katie, Thank you, Senator Sam McMahon there confirming Darwin

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Speaker 1: is on the list. Chamozul. It's been throughout this morning,

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Speaker 1: but as I've said to the Senator, we are very

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Speaker 1: keen to see this in writing in black and white.

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Speaker 1: I want to make it so clear for our tourism

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Speaker 1: operators because I tell you what, it was heartbreaking to

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Speaker 1: see Glenn Hinley's face this morning upon hearing that there

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Speaker 1: seemed as though there'd been a backtrack following on from

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Speaker 1: what Minister for Tourism Dan teen had said to us

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Speaker 1: earlier today. But it sounds as though common sense has

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Speaker 1: prevailed and that Darwin is going to be included on

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Speaker 1: that list. So Ozzie's from all around the nation are

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Speaker 1: going to be able to travel to Darwin at half price,

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Speaker 1: and for the second time today. That is it for

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Speaker 1: us this afternoon. Thank you so much for your company.

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Speaker 1: We'll be back again tomorrow morning from nine o'clock