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Speaker 1: Joining me on the line right now is the owner

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Speaker 1: of Monty's Lounge, Kyle Pearson. Good morning to you, Kyle.

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Speaker 1: Not too bad, Thanks so much for your time this morning.

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Speaker 2: Kyle.

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Speaker 1: We understand there has been reports that you're very popular

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Speaker 1: local pub Monty's Lounge. You've made the tough decision to

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Speaker 1: not reopen next year.

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Speaker 2: Yeah. Look, we're at the end of our least there

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Speaker 2: and now we've just had to make the hard decisions

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Speaker 2: to make in an unfortunate but it's just simply not

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Speaker 2: viable to go on. And so yeah, yeah, this is where,

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Speaker 2: unfortunately it's going to end. Monty.

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Speaker 3: Kyle, talk us through the reasons behind that.

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Speaker 1: I know you've just said that the lease is run out,

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Speaker 1: but I understand that, you know, the issues that you

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Speaker 1: have been experiencing when it comes to crime have had

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Speaker 1: an impact.

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Speaker 2: Yeah. I mean, if I can put together a bit

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Speaker 2: of a timeline for we we purchased Monty's mostly December

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Speaker 2: twenty eight eight, We traded for eleven weeks and then

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Speaker 2: we'll shut down due to COVID. So it's been a

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Speaker 2: real struggle the whole time. You know, COVID. Everyone knows

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Speaker 2: I meant to be talking about anyone, absolutely devastated. Because

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Speaker 2: we're in new business, we didn't get tax relay from

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Speaker 2: the federal government. We could be you know, people working

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Speaker 2: on business, so we didn't get job keeper allowance in

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Speaker 2: the first instance. So whilst we went in there with

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Speaker 2: grand plans to improve the place, you know, to make

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Speaker 2: it better, it just turned into a three year game

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Speaker 2: of survival, you know. And after all that, we opened

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Speaker 2: the game into this, you know, this disgusting level of crime.

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Speaker 2: And I'm an adilator. I didn't even know what happened

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Speaker 2: in Alis last night. I'm just it's just golf smacks.

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Speaker 2: It's just unbelievable.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, it is. It is totally unbelievable.

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Speaker 1: And you know, we've spoken to the commander or sorry,

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Speaker 1: the assistant commissioner yesterday about you know, the impact that

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Speaker 1: having the additional police there was having in terms of

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Speaker 1: trying to quell.

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Speaker 3: Some of that unrest.

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Speaker 1: But it just as though there are ongoing issues with

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Speaker 1: crime and anti social behavior and it must make it

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Speaker 1: really difficult when it comes to running a business.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, and look it's Thairty Police for the answer. Why

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Speaker 2: didn't they do it? Three? I mean, I've been in

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Speaker 2: early twenty years why didn't they do that twenty years ago,

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Speaker 2: put thirty more police on it. Rn't know that, you know,

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Speaker 2: whilst it might have some short time effects, I'm not

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Speaker 2: here to criticize the police, you know on the ground.

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Speaker 2: Look what you know, that's what's happened last night. How

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Speaker 2: effective is it and what's being done to address the

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Speaker 2: root causes of crime? Because what if we're doing in

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Speaker 2: the billions of dollars in things throwing out and top.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, and this is the thing.

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Speaker 1: And you know, I feel as though, obviously I'm not

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Speaker 1: based in Alice Springs, so I don't know exactly what

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Speaker 1: goes on from from day to day, but it does

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Speaker 1: feel as though it's something that you've been grappling with

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Speaker 1: for quite a while and it's taken quite a long

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Speaker 1: time for there to be sort of really serious action.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, and you know where it became for Austen where

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Speaker 2: the real turn around came with monkeys, I mean break

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Speaker 2: into one thing and I think our record was seven

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Speaker 2: times in forty eight hours. But I mean when it's

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Speaker 2: crime against the person and people are coming out to

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Speaker 2: have a good night, their tires are getting slashed, they're

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Speaker 2: getting bashed on the way home, you know, their handbags

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Speaker 2: are getting stolen off the tables by people that sneak

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Speaker 2: in when our security guard turns his back for thirty seconds.

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Speaker 2: You know, people just don't want anymore. And that's the

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Speaker 2: message we're getting from our friend, from our customers. We're

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Speaker 2: just saying it's just not safe to go out, so

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Speaker 2: they'd rather go to a house party than go out.

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Speaker 2: And you know, it's a pretty sad stave affairs for

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Speaker 2: our Springs.

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Speaker 3: Like a guess to that, Yeah, I mean it is.

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Speaker 3: It's a bloody, very sad state of affairs.

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Speaker 1: And as you've you know, you've touched on, it makes

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Speaker 1: it makes it difficult for you guys to be able

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Speaker 1: to have a business there and be able to continue

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Speaker 1: to have it viable if then people don't really want

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Speaker 1: to go out at nighttime.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, you know that's just kind of a

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Speaker 2: reality now. I mean, you know, it doesn't feel safe

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Speaker 2: to go out, and you know, once again, it's just

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Speaker 2: really sad. And we're spending money and trying to attack

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Speaker 2: people through the Northern Territory and they come down the

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Speaker 2: Springs and that's what they're faced with.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, Kyle, I know that, you know it would have

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Speaker 1: been a tough decision to make, and no doubt it's

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Speaker 1: going to impact on staff as well. But you've got

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Speaker 1: a couple of businesses, don't you.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, we have the brewery in town as well. And

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Speaker 2: you know I was told recently by government, someone in

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Speaker 2: government at least I still have that, which is a

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Speaker 2: pretty poor conformation prize in my regard, because it's no

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Speaker 2: happy going coincidence that the brewer is successful has taking

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Speaker 2: a hard you know a lot of hard work to

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Speaker 2: get to that point. And you know, another point to

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Speaker 2: be made is people tell us now that they come

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Speaker 2: out to the brewery because it's not in the CBD.

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Speaker 2: They come out there because you know, they can sit

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Speaker 2: there and take their children there and have a meal

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Speaker 2: safety and they don't worrying about their cars getting smashed,

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Speaker 2: you know, theirs getting stolen, which and why that's great

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Speaker 2: for us now, I don't know, you know, things are

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Speaker 2: going on the way they go. How long will remain

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Speaker 2: a reality because the cross isn't just isolated to the CBD.

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Speaker 2: And you know, as we've seen in recent with the

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Speaker 2: with the operation that's been going on, it's just pushing

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Speaker 2: crime out to the suburbs.

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Speaker 1: Mate, what Like, I know that you guys have been

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Speaker 1: trying to raise these concerns with government for quite some time.

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Speaker 1: You know, you speak about them open and you know,

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Speaker 1: very openly and genuinely. But what you know, what is

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Speaker 1: your message really for those in those decision making positions

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Speaker 1: when it comes to what's going on in Alice Springs

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Speaker 1: around those issues of crime and anti social behavior.

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Speaker 2: I think it's just time to get serious. And you know,

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Speaker 2: someone who recently were angry about being broaken into that, personally,

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Speaker 2: I don't get angry. I don't get sad, and I'm

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Speaker 2: not going to get angry at a bunch of children

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Speaker 2: that you know, really have no prospects in life, you know,

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Speaker 2: and then nothing's been done to fix that. So you

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Speaker 2: know what if I was in the same same position

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Speaker 2: in their age, you know what, what what to look

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Speaker 2: forward to? You know, it's really you know, it's a

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Speaker 2: really tough situation. And then I think there needs, you know,

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Speaker 2: needs to be a really serious look at where all

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Speaker 2: the funding is going, you know, to try and help

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Speaker 2: people if it's not been successful and are just going

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Speaker 2: to a life of crime. Like yeah, you know, it's yeah,

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Speaker 2: once again, I just don't it's hard to begrudge kids

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Speaker 2: that really don't have a lot to look forward to

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Speaker 2: in life.

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Speaker 1: Well, Kyle, I appreciate your time this morning. Thank you

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Speaker 1: very much for having a chat with us. Some sorry

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Speaker 1: to hear that it is a situation that you know

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Speaker 1: that you've had to make that decision around Monty's, but yeah,

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Speaker 1: I really appreciate you coming on and having a chat.

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Speaker 3: With us about it.

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Speaker 2: Katy, thanks very much.

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Speaker 3: Thanks mate,