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Speaker 1: And the federal government is set to spend two million

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Speaker 1: dollars upgrading air conditioning and other maintenance works at the

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Speaker 1: old Howard Springs Quarantine Center as part of a twenty

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Speaker 1: four million dollar upgrade to top end defense infrastructure. Now

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Speaker 1: the minister is that, well, the Assistant Minister, I should say,

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Speaker 1: Matt Fistlethwaite is in the top end over the next

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Speaker 1: couple of days inspecting facilities targeted in the Commonwealth's two

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Speaker 1: billion dollars will defense budget, so the territory defense budget

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Speaker 1: that is. And the Assistant Minister joins me on the

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Speaker 1: line right now, Good morning to you.

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Speaker 2: Good morning Katie. Great to talk to you again.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, great to have you on the show. Thank you

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Speaker 1: so much for your time. Now tell us we know

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Speaker 1: that there is that funding boost for the Robertson Barracks

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Speaker 1: and Howard Springs South Facility. What kind of upgrades are required.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, we're investing twenty four million dollars in upgrades, particularly

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Speaker 2: Robertson Barracks, where we're upgrading the medical and dental facility,

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Speaker 2: a new training facility for the military working dogs, and

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Speaker 2: upgrades to the gymnasium as well the air conditioning unit

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Speaker 2: there and over how It Springs a new upgrade for

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Speaker 2: the air conditioning. We all know how important air conditioning

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Speaker 2: is in the top end. And these are all small

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Speaker 2: to medium scale infrastructure projects aimed at improving the livability

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Speaker 2: of bases here in the North and ensuring that our

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Speaker 2: troops get the support that they need when they're undertaking

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Speaker 2: this important training of our nation.

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Speaker 1: Have we got quite a few people living or staying

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Speaker 1: out there at that Howard Springs facility.

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Speaker 2: Now it tends to get bigger when we have search

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Speaker 2: capacity associated with the exercises that take place here in

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Speaker 2: the Northern particular Talisman, Savor, Pitch Black and others. There's

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Speaker 2: a small number of people that are housed there at

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Speaker 2: the moment defense staff, but it tends to be used

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Speaker 2: a lot more when we need that search capacity when

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Speaker 2: you've got a large number of troops coming in, particularly

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Speaker 2: the Marine's Marines that come as part of the rotational force.

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Speaker 1: And from your perspective, why are some of those upgrades necessary?

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Speaker 1: I know it's not just how It Springs, but also

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Speaker 1: the barracks. Why are they necessary?

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Speaker 2: Well, they improve the livability and the facilities on bases

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Speaker 2: that support our troops, and we know that our troops

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Speaker 2: training in the top end do a wonderful job. How

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Speaker 2: strategically important it is to the defense of our nation,

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Speaker 2: and the government wants to make sure that they have

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Speaker 2: the best facilities possible. So these upgrades will improve some

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Speaker 2: of those facilities and make sure that the troops have

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Speaker 2: the best experience they possibly can when they're training here

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Speaker 2: in the North, and ultimately hopefully that they choose to

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Speaker 2: base themselves here longer term, because this is a pretty

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Speaker 2: strategically important area with a number of important bases for

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Speaker 2: the defense of our nation.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, and look, you know, we want those troops here.

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Speaker 1: We certainly hoping that it helps to build on our

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Speaker 1: population as well. But it was being reported a bit

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Speaker 1: earlier this morning that we're getting around one hundred additional troops.

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Speaker 1: Meanwhile Townsvill's getting about eight hundred.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, we are going to grow the number of Defense

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Speaker 2: force personnel here in Darwin, particularly in this region, and

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Speaker 2: that's on the back of the recommendation of the Defense

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Speaker 2: Strategic Review, and what we're focusing on is improving the

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Speaker 2: latoral capacity of defense here in the Darwin region in particular.

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Speaker 2: So there's a number of investments that the government's undertaking

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Speaker 2: HMAS Kunawara, Larachia Barracks, Robertson Barracks, and Tyndall that support that,

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Speaker 2: so you will get more troops here in the area.

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Speaker 2: The other important point, Katie, is that a lot of

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Speaker 2: these projects done in partnership with local industry, local businesses

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Speaker 2: that win these contracts and employ locals. And the fantastic

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Speaker 2: thing about the announcement that I made yesterday Robertson Barracks

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Speaker 2: is that every one of the subcontracting businesses involved is

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Speaker 2: an indigenous business and supporting apprenticeships, traineeships, and local jobs

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Speaker 2: to particularly indigenous use, but other use as well in

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Speaker 2: the local community.

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Speaker 1: So all of that twenty four million dollars, all of

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Speaker 1: that work is going to local contractors.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, that's right. All of it involves local contractors as

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Speaker 2: a principal contractor and may subcontract our electrical work, construction work,

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Speaker 2: security work, and other work associated with those projects. So

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Speaker 2: local businesses and that creates jobs in the local economy.

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Speaker 1: Just going back to those numbers with the troops, why

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Speaker 1: are we getting so many lesse than Townsville.

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Speaker 2: Well, that's based on the recommendations of the Defense Strategic Review,

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Speaker 2: and that's because the focus in this area is very

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Speaker 2: much on the toural capacity. It makes sense given that

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Speaker 2: you've got that highly skilled and highly trained nor force

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Speaker 2: that operates in this region. They know these waters and

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Speaker 2: the coastline better than any someone else. Over in Townsville,

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Speaker 2: that's very much a training facility based on combat readiness

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Speaker 2: for the Army in particular, but also for the other

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Speaker 2: services as well. So a lot of that equipment associated

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Speaker 2: with that combat readiness, our infantry, fighting vehicles, our heavy

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Speaker 2: lift capacity associated with the Army, our helicopters is based there.

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Speaker 2: So we're making changes based on the recommendations of the

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Speaker 2: Defense Strategic Review. But I think it's important to note

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Speaker 2: that the Defense Force personnel will grow in the Northern Territory.

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Speaker 2: It's not reducing, it's growing. You're seeing transfers of Army

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Speaker 2: personnel from Adelaide predominantly to Townsville and some to Darwin

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Speaker 2: as well. So the Defense force presence in this region

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Speaker 2: will grow and contribute to that great tradition of a

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Speaker 2: garrison town here in Dale.

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Speaker 1: Look, I understand what you're saying, and certainly not holding

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Speaker 1: any grudges towards Townsville. I lived there for several years.

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Speaker 1: But I suppose what I'm getting at and what I'm

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Speaker 1: wondering is are we also seeing this happen because the

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Speaker 1: liveability of towns will for maybe some of those defense

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Speaker 1: members they're seeing it as a more livable place than Darwin.

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Speaker 1: I mean, are we being impacted by the issues of

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Speaker 1: crime that we have here in the top end.

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Speaker 2: I would definitely dispute that all of the troops that

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Speaker 2: I speak to when I visit Darwin and the Northern Territory,

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Speaker 2: Tyndall and other places, when I asked them what their

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Speaker 2: experience of this area is, they love it. And I

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Speaker 2: met a gentleman yesterday at Major at Robertson Barracks who

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Speaker 2: was on his fourth posting here in Darwin, a young

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Speaker 2: fellow in his early thirties who grew up in Tasmania.

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Speaker 2: And I said to him, why are you back? And

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Speaker 2: he said, because I love the place. And I think

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Speaker 2: that that an experience that many of our ADF personnel have.

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Speaker 2: They might be a bit APPREHENDI here about the weather

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Speaker 2: conditions when they come here, but when they come here

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Speaker 2: and they meet the locals, they become ensconced in the community.

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Speaker 2: They absolutely love it.

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Speaker 1: Well, that is good to hear. I do hope that

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Speaker 1: you know that we see those numbers increase. I know

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Speaker 1: that we are we are going to see an increase.

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Speaker 1: But yeah, I mean the more the better, I think

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Speaker 1: is the way a lot of locals are feeling, because

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Speaker 1: who want to see that population growth? But look, I

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Speaker 1: do want to ask. I know this morning you are

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Speaker 1: out well looking at the solar the new solar farm.

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Speaker 1: Is that at Robertson Barracks or where is that?

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Speaker 2: I'm at rap based Darwin At the moment, I'll just

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Speaker 2: cut the ribbon on a large scale solar farm that

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Speaker 2: will supply a significant portion of the energy needs here

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Speaker 2: at the base. It will power about forty percent of

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Speaker 2: the base's energy needs. And importantly, Katie, it will save

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Speaker 2: and reduce carbon emissions by about two thousand and in

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Speaker 2: the first year alone here in the local community. It

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Speaker 2: also says about one hundred and thirty thousand dollars a

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Speaker 2: year on electricity costs or the Australian Defense for and

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Speaker 2: that is important because it means that we can invest

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Speaker 2: in better facilities for our troops and better capability. So

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Speaker 2: I'm really proud to be here on behalf of the

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Speaker 2: government today to launch this solar farm. I'm here with

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Speaker 2: some of the workers who've been involved in the construction,

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Speaker 2: the wing commander from the base, and some of the

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Speaker 2: base personnel, and it's been a fantastic morning launching this

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Speaker 2: important project.

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Speaker 1: So around nine thousand solar panels, it sounds like it's

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Speaker 1: going to be massive.

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Speaker 2: It's huge. It's the largest solar installation and renewable energy

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Speaker 2: project in the Northern Territory to come online, and that's

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Speaker 2: something that we're pretty proud of. But it's not the

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Speaker 2: only one. Another one at Robertson Barracks and Hearts Range

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Speaker 2: they'll come online later this year, and we're also also

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Speaker 2: scoping Tinder And when you think about it, the Northern

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Speaker 2: Territory in the top end really makes sense for renewable

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Speaker 2: energy projects, particularly in defense because Defense is the largest

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Speaker 2: landowner in the Commonwealth, so they have an abundance of

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Speaker 2: space and he got plenty of sunshine and renewable energy

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Speaker 2: opportunity here in the North.

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Speaker 1: Well Matt Thistlethwaite, the Assistant Minister for Defense, always good

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Speaker 1: to catch up with you when you're in town. Thank

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Speaker 1: you so much for having a chat with us this morning.

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Speaker 2: Thanks for having me on Katie, thank you,