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Speaker 1: You're listening to Mix one O four point nine three

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Speaker 1: sixty Now, a new vocational training center aimed at providing

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Speaker 1: young people with the skills and qualifications to transition from

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Speaker 1: school to work has officially opened today. Now joining me

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Speaker 1: on the line to tell us a little bit more

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Speaker 1: is the Minister for Small Business and also the Minister

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Speaker 1: for Jobs and Training, Paul Kirby.

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Speaker 2: Good morning to you.

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Speaker 3: Good morning Katie. How are you?

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Speaker 1: Yeah, very well, minister. We know that this news center

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Speaker 1: has opened today. How does it all look?

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Speaker 3: Yeah, it looks fantastic. We've had a couple of looks

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Speaker 3: around out here and from whether it's hospitality, electrical to

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Speaker 3: a range of different mechanical trades. It's a really really

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Speaker 3: good setup. It's all brand new. The kids that go

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Speaker 3: there really really love it. So we're sure that it's

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Speaker 3: going to be a great addition to our vet sector

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Speaker 3: training in the territory.

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Speaker 1: And so, Minister, is it already operational or is it

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Speaker 1: properly operational?

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Speaker 2: Sort of from today.

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Speaker 3: Today's the official opening, but they have had kids out

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Speaker 3: there and it has been up and running. Particularly there

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Speaker 3: was electrical people out there when we were there, and

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Speaker 3: also mechanical people sitting in a classroom. They do a

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Speaker 3: bit of time in the classroom and a bit of

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Speaker 3: time out in the workshops, and workshops are really well equipped.

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Speaker 3: They really do look fantastic. There's electric hoists and all

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Speaker 3: the state of the art equipment for these guys to

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Speaker 3: learn in. Probably one of the best stories was that

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Speaker 3: the hospitality side, it's got all beautiful stainless steel cookers

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Speaker 3: and everything in there. But the kids that wanted to

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Speaker 3: work in there, they came out and set it up

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Speaker 3: in their own time so that the training could start.

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Speaker 3: They were that team to get it up and running.

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Speaker 3: So yeah, really really good opportunities for kids.

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Speaker 1: Well that is good to hear. And I tell you what,

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Speaker 1: we are in a situation right now in the territory

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Speaker 1: where if we can grow our own it is a

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Speaker 1: good path to go down because we know that there's

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Speaker 1: quite the worker shortage right across the board.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, certainly, and that's the message we've been giving out

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Speaker 3: the apprentice fairs that we've been doing to try and encourage.

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Speaker 3: They were aimed specifically at hospitality and tourism, but yeah,

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Speaker 3: there's no better time to try and grow our own

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Speaker 3: and whether it's through those literacy and numerousy courses that

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Speaker 3: we're offering to people. If there are people through the territory.

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Speaker 3: We know that we have a big population that has

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Speaker 3: English as a second language, and now is a great

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Speaker 3: time for anyone to be thinking about how they might

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Speaker 3: get into a trade or a career of their choice.

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Speaker 2: Yeah. Now, who will be able to attend this facility?

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I understand it is aimed at disengaged youth, So

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Speaker 3: there are young people that are going to school at

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Speaker 3: the moment that perhaps they're not able to deal with

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Speaker 3: the school and the classroom facilities on a permanent basis.

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Speaker 3: There's a lot of those kids that have been targeted

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Speaker 3: to come in to this type of facility. So we've

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Speaker 3: had really good engagement from the businesses in the area

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Speaker 3: as well. They're really keen on looking at how the

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Speaker 3: kids progress. Some of them have already been, but to

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Speaker 3: see how kids are progressing and to see if there's

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Speaker 3: any employment opportunities for them going forward. So understanding it,

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Speaker 3: it's been targeted at disengaged youths, but there'll certainly be

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Speaker 3: career paths for a lot of young adult children here.

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Speaker 3: So we really look good forward to how it's going

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Speaker 3: to pan out over the coming years.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, and it, I mean wasn't.

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Speaker 1: My understanding is that it was part of the plans

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Speaker 1: that the government had in place in an effort to

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Speaker 1: try to combat youth crime. Is that still what the

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Speaker 1: you know, what the aim is or is that just

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Speaker 1: part of it?

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Speaker 3: Yeah, it's just part of the story. It may well

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Speaker 3: be kids if they're been allocated at a diversion program

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Speaker 3: and this is something that really suits their needs in certainly,

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Speaker 3: you know, they would welcome kids to come out. One

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Speaker 3: of the really great stories when we were talking to

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Speaker 3: the instructors and the people that are running the center

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Speaker 3: a couple of weeks ago, they said that, like, there

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Speaker 3: are some kids that have been here for a little

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Speaker 3: while already. When new young people come in, if they

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Speaker 3: start to play up, if they start to play around

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Speaker 3: or mess around, or they're continually late or anything like that,

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Speaker 3: it's their peers that pull them up. So it really

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Speaker 3: is a great environment for kids to learn in. It's

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Speaker 3: their own friends and the people that they're learning with

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Speaker 3: that encourage them to do the right thing, to turn

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Speaker 3: up on time, and to concentrate on learning while they're here.

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Speaker 3: And yeah, they've really starting to set a great model

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Speaker 3: for kids to continue learning and to continue to grow in.

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Speaker 3: So yeah, it'll be a great facility.

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Speaker 1: Yeah. Well, look, I always think it's really important. I

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Speaker 1: know that, you know, there are kids that are in

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Speaker 1: the school system in their teenage years who really maybe

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Speaker 1: aren't as interested in school as what they would be

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Speaker 1: in doing a trade or getting some other skills. So

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Speaker 1: I actually think that it is hopefully a good step

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Speaker 1: in the right direction for some of those kids.

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Speaker 2: How many can it cater for, Minister.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I think you're dead right. The more opportunities we

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Speaker 3: can give young people to diversify the way that they

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Speaker 3: continue to learn and grow be a fantastic outcome. I

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Speaker 3: think it's a couple of hundred that they can get

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Speaker 3: on the books all up, and I think it copes

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Speaker 3: with seventy or eighty in the actual facility on a

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Speaker 3: day to day basis. So yeah, it's really a good setup.

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Speaker 3: Each little workshop has its own little classroom area set aside,

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Speaker 3: and whether that's mechanical or sheet metal or construction, timberwork,

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Speaker 3: electrical engineering, and as I said, the hospitality or the

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Speaker 3: cooking industry. Yeah, a really great setup. So it's quite

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Speaker 3: a big facility.

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Speaker 1: And of course each pathway does provide students with credits

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Speaker 1: towards their ntc ET as well as encouraging that future training,

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Speaker 1: which hopefully is going to be a good thing. Minister,

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Speaker 1: I do just want to take you across to another

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Speaker 1: situation that is making headlines around the territory today. I

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Speaker 1: think it goes without saying that we all think it

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Speaker 1: is wonderful that there's going to be a massive ferris wheel,

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Speaker 1: which is it's being set up. It is already set

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Speaker 1: up in fact at the wharf, but unfortunately I know

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Speaker 1: that it is going to take up over a fifth

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Speaker 1: of the parking spaces at that facility. There's going to

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Speaker 1: be a few businesses there at the wharf who While

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Speaker 1: this will bring more people that way, it is going

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Speaker 1: to see those car parking spaces taken up. I mean,

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Speaker 1: is it a good move or should it have gone

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Speaker 1: somewhere else.

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Speaker 3: It's a fantastic move. I think the views from being

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Speaker 3: right out on the wharf and once you start to

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Speaker 3: go up in the air, and particularly I think if

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Speaker 3: the tides out the verdigo will probably kick in for

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Speaker 3: some people. It'll be a wonderful addition. We absolutely commend

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Speaker 3: the Waterfront for having the vision and Sam and his team,

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Speaker 3: they do a great job down there. There are a

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Speaker 3: couple of shuttle buses that we run around the city

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Speaker 3: and I know that they'll be doing their best to

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Speaker 3: try and get people out there. It's absolutely beautiful weather

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Speaker 3: at the moment, so it's only a couple of minute warp,

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Speaker 3: but to forego a few parks. Parking has always been

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Speaker 3: a bit of an issue out on the end of

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Speaker 3: the wharf there, so we'll continue to work with those businesses.

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Speaker 3: We want to see them do the best that they can.

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Speaker 3: But we really think this edition will be a smashing

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Speaker 3: addition to the city. I was down at the waterfront

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Speaker 3: with some friends last night and even on a Tuesday night,

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Speaker 3: you're just about to struggle to get a table and

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Speaker 3: you can see it being built almost before your eyes.

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Speaker 3: Yetter that it's going up so quickly.

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Speaker 1: And I mean, have any of those small businesses that

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Speaker 1: are based there at the wharf have they raised this

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Speaker 1: concern with you?

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Speaker 3: None of them have raised specific concerns around the parking

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Speaker 3: with me. I think they all know that it will

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Speaker 3: be a good addition. We know that continuing to get

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Speaker 3: people out there will be at the front of the mine.

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Speaker 3: For some of those businesses, I'm confident that will continue

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Speaker 3: to grow on the back of a wonderful edition like this.

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Speaker 3: So yeah, I'll be down there over the next couple

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Speaker 3: of days and out there and talking to people, and

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Speaker 3: will work really closely with the waterfront and make sure

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Speaker 3: that we can get as many people out there as possible,

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Speaker 3: because I think as soon as you go past and

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Speaker 3: see it's going up, yeah, you and the family are

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Speaker 3: while to have a go on it. That's sure.

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Speaker 1: It looks like it's going to be pretty cool, Minister.

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Speaker 1: Just finally, of course, this isn't set in stone at

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Speaker 1: this stage, but it is looking as though the council

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Speaker 1: is going to change their minds and reverse that decision

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Speaker 1: on the reintroduction of the Elfresco dining fees on those

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Speaker 1: tables that are out on council land. As I said,

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Speaker 1: not set in stone at this point in time, but

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Speaker 1: is this a good thing from your perspective?

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Speaker 3: Certainly if they do change their minds on that, it

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Speaker 3: would be extremely welcome. That ol Fresco dining fees is

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Speaker 3: something that business has raised with us, probably since I've

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Speaker 3: been local member in twenty and sixteen. We've put a

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Speaker 3: mountain of work in trying to activate a lot of

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Speaker 3: laneways and a lot of spaces, and any business that's

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Speaker 3: just starting up, that's you know, all of those ancillary

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Speaker 3: costs are just more of a handbreak for them. I've

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Speaker 3: written to the Lord Mayor, I've written to all of

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Speaker 3: the oldermen, pleading with them to do the right thing,

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Speaker 3: and we understand we've had a couple of good weeks

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Speaker 3: and there's a lot of people around Darwen at the

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Speaker 3: moment that business really do need a helping hand at

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Speaker 3: the moment.

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Speaker 1: So have the I mean, I know that the Lord

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Speaker 1: Mayor was on the show on Monday morning announcing that

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Speaker 1: he's keen to reverse this decision, But have any of

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Speaker 1: those other aldermen responded to you and what have they indicated.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I know that some are keen not to enact

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Speaker 3: those fees. So yeah, I'm really confident that hopefully as

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Speaker 3: soon as possible. I'm not sure if it goes up

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Speaker 3: this Tuesday, but hopefully they'll they'll make the right decision

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Speaker 3: and help those businesses that are either just getting off

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Speaker 3: the ground just starting up in those ol Fresco areas,

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Speaker 3: give them the best chance and what a beautiful look

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Speaker 3: for the visitors that we've got in town as well.

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Speaker 3: To be able to as the sun goes down have

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Speaker 3: a meal and a drink outside, it'll be a great

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Speaker 3: way to keep improving the city well.

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Speaker 1: Minister for Small Business and also Jobs and Training, Paul Kirby,

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Speaker 1: always appreciate your time.

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Speaker 2: Thanks so much for speaking with us this morning.

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Speaker 3: Thanks very much, Katie.

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Speaker 2: To thank you.

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Speaker 1: You're listening to Mix one oh four point nine's three

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