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Speaker 1: Now.

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Speaker 2: Yesterday, as I said, we were absolutely inundated with calls

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Speaker 2: from many of you who were stuck in that line

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Speaker 2: out out at Marra waiting for a COVID test and

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Speaker 2: well you'd either been at an exposure site. We'd heard

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Speaker 2: from a number of people who'd been at the Buff

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Speaker 2: Club for example, or you'll may be a casual contact.

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Speaker 2: Now Territorian's turned out in droves to get tested. And

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Speaker 2: joining me on the line right now is the Health

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Speaker 2: Minister Natasha Files.

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Speaker 1: Good morning, Good morning Katie, Good morning listeners.

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Speaker 3: Minister.

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Speaker 2: How is that line for testing at Marara looking today, Katie.

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Speaker 1: I haven't been out there this morning, but I understand

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Speaker 1: we tested over two thousand people yesterday and we've got

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Speaker 1: a clear message for people that we have refined our systems.

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Speaker 1: We've got additional staff out there, we have provided porterlooth

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Speaker 1: and cleaners to clean them. We don't want to create

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Speaker 1: an infection hazard inadvertently, but we really need people to

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Speaker 1: make sure that they need to be tested. If you

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Speaker 1: are unwell, of course you should be tested, and please

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Speaker 1: look at those contact locations again. I was talking to

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Speaker 1: someone yesterday who hadn't been at one of the locations,

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Speaker 1: but felt they should be tested, and we really need

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Speaker 1: those people to not be tested please at this stage,

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Speaker 1: because it's actually causing a hindrance to this system rather

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Speaker 1: than being helpful. So that's our clear advice, and we

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Speaker 1: certainly appreciate the efforts of territorians and we understand the frustrations,

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Speaker 1: but we need people to be tested only that fall

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Speaker 1: into those categories.

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Speaker 2: Okay, So two thousand people tested yesterday? How many does

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Speaker 2: that mean since this lockdown began? O.

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Speaker 1: Katie, I can't chip up with the days this week.

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Speaker 1: We've certainly tested thousands. We have our laboratories have really responded,

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Speaker 1: our staff out there, so want to thank everyone on

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Speaker 1: the front line. Happy to get you a specific figure,

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Speaker 1: but it's certainly been over two thousand each day this week,

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Speaker 1: is my understanding.

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Speaker 3: Okay, So well, goodness mate.

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Speaker 2: That means that we'd be looking at around six thousand

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Speaker 2: by the end of today if we continue at the

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Speaker 2: well more actually around eight thousand if we continue at

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Speaker 2: that rate.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, Katie, and I know that on Tuesday it was

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Speaker 1: two thousand, six hundred territory wide. So we've clearly got

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Speaker 1: alice springs as well, which we've got the resources there

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Speaker 1: to do around one thousand tests a day, so you know,

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Speaker 1: we've got health teams and those people supporting them right

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Speaker 1: across the territory working very hard, and we just appreciate

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Speaker 1: people's patients and just double checking that information that you

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Speaker 1: really do need to be tested.

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Speaker 3: Now, just to.

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Speaker 2: Get down to it, though, have all of those Buff

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Speaker 2: Club contacts now been now been tested?

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Speaker 1: Katie? The understanding I have is that all of the

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Speaker 1: Buff Club and the Zumba class people have been identified

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Speaker 1: and they are in isolation and have been tested. Now.

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Speaker 1: We do need to remember that this is a contact

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Speaker 1: tracing exercise, so there could be more names added, but

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Speaker 1: our health officials are working through that. But everyone that

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Speaker 1: has been identified has been tested today.

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Speaker 2: Okay, have the results come back yet for all of

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Speaker 2: those close contacts at those exposure sites i e.

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Speaker 3: The Buff Club and Zomba.

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Speaker 1: So, Katie, I'll be heading into another meeting as soon

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Speaker 1: as I get off air to you and I'll be

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Speaker 1: provided with a further update. But the information I have

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Speaker 1: is as those are all negative to date, but of

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Speaker 1: course there's results coming in very regularly from the laboratories

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Speaker 1: and health.

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Speaker 2: Okay, yesterday I asked about that Zoomber Class and their

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Speaker 2: potential involvement in the warm up to the city to serve.

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Speaker 3: Have you had any clarity there?

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Speaker 1: So, Ktie, those Zoomber class people to date have tested negative.

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Speaker 1: If they were to t test positive, any individuals that

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Speaker 1: would then step up the next layer of that contact

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Speaker 1: tracing process. So the advice I've got from Health is

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Speaker 1: that there is no further exposure sites identified or people

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Speaker 1: that should be worried about spread to date, and of

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Speaker 1: course we're working to get all those results back as

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Speaker 1: quickly as possible, and if we were to see any

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Speaker 1: positive cases, it would go from there.

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Speaker 2: Minister, I know that a lot of people are certainly

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Speaker 2: real hoping that this lockdown does lift tomorrow at one o'clock.

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Speaker 2: But I'm assuming that there's a couple of big things

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Speaker 2: that we're going to be looking out for, and that

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Speaker 2: is no new cases and also making sure that everybody

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Speaker 2: who needs to be tested is tested.

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Speaker 3: Is that right?

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Speaker 1: So, Katie, part of the reason why we called the

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Speaker 1: lockdown was so that we could identify those close contacts

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Speaker 1: and get them in isolation. So that has been achieved.

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Speaker 1: So even if we and we also need to remember

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Speaker 1: back to the Chief Health Officer's advice those parmesan locations particularly.

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Speaker 1: We don't believe that the individuals that have now tested

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Speaker 1: positive were inspectious at that time, but we're we're being

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Speaker 1: very cautious. So even if we do see more positive cases,

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Speaker 1: if they haven't been in the community, if they've been

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Speaker 1: in Needa Howard Springs isolation, that reduces the risks to

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Speaker 1: our community. So that's what we'll be looking for. Well,

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Speaker 1: as I said, going to briefings after this interview, and

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Speaker 1: I expect the Chief Minister will provide an update to

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Speaker 1: territorians and some clarity around that law down are hopefully lifting.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, we have been told by his office hopefully at

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Speaker 2: eleven thirty this morning we will see another one of

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Speaker 2: those press conferences and get a better idea. But Minister,

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Speaker 2: are you hopeful that that lockdown will still lift tomorrow

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Speaker 2: at one o'clock Katie?

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Speaker 1: As I said, I will wait to be briefed by

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Speaker 1: Health this morning and the Chief Minister will make that

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Speaker 1: information available. But what we've seen this sharp response in

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Speaker 1: terms of getting these people identified and into isolation and quarantine.

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Speaker 1: It has worked. It's given our contact traces time. And

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Speaker 1: as I said, even if we are to see more

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Speaker 1: positive cases come out in the coming days. The likelihood

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Speaker 1: of those people being infectious if they are these contacts

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Speaker 1: is the risk to the community is very low because

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Speaker 1: they've been in isolation, not Howard's breaks, and that's what

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Speaker 1: you aim to achieve from a lockdown. Some individuals, Katie,

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Speaker 1: those close contacts, unfortunately have to stay in quarantine for

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Speaker 1: fourteen days because they could go from being initially a

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Speaker 1: negative test to a positive tests. But that is as

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Speaker 1: their viral load lifts and the virus becomes present and

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Speaker 1: they become infectious. But the broader community is protected because

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Speaker 1: they're in isolation.

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Speaker 2: Okay, we have got some messages coming through this morning.

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Speaker 2: There's one here that says, hey, Katie, I'm in line

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Speaker 2: again day three to get tested. We had an appointment,

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Speaker 2: but that means nothing. No one's checking if we've got

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Speaker 2: an appointment. And also I can't see the toilets or water.

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Speaker 1: So Katie, I'll pass on that feedback. But the advice

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Speaker 1: I had yesterday from the Territory Control of the Police

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Speaker 1: Commissioner was that as you entered the site and joined

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Speaker 1: that to you were being checked one. Did you have

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Speaker 1: an appointment? And I've also asked for the process to

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Speaker 1: include do you genuinely need an appointment, because some people

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Speaker 1: might say yes, I've got an appointment, but working through

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Speaker 1: do they genuinely need that appointment? I also had advice

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Speaker 1: that they were handing out some bottles of water. We

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Speaker 1: do say to people you do need to be patient,

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Speaker 1: perhaps take some snacks, the book to read in the car,

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Speaker 1: and those portaloos have been placed on site. They might

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Speaker 1: be able to see them from where they're at and the.

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Speaker 2: Queue have got another message from a listener here It

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Speaker 2: says Katie, I picked my mate up from the airport

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Speaker 2: last Friday. He came from the Mind. He got taken

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Speaker 2: to Howard Springs on Saturday. He still doesn't have his

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Speaker 2: results yet. I can't work because I'm an uber driver

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Speaker 2: waiting for his results.

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Speaker 1: So Katie, that would be a specific clinical question about

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Speaker 1: an individual. Of course I wouldn't have that detail. And

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Speaker 1: as I said, sometimes they test negative initially and then

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Speaker 1: test positive, but the clinical evidence suggests to us that

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Speaker 1: they weren't infectious when they're in the community. But unfortunately

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Speaker 1: that person needs to speak to their friend. And as

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Speaker 1: I said, if they haven't tested positive to date, that's

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Speaker 1: a good sign. If they were to turn positive, the

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Speaker 1: department would work through what potential contacts might be and

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Speaker 1: whether that person that's texted you is in fact of contact.

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Speaker 2: Is there a situation here though, where some of those

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Speaker 2: workers from that mindset haven't got their results get so.

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Speaker 1: Katie, they're being tested multiple times, so they'll be tested

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Speaker 1: initially and then they'll have a second test, and there'll

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Speaker 1: be multiple tests. So I can't speak to the specifics

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Speaker 1: of that, but certainly there's a testing regime in place,

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Speaker 1: and we do provide that information to those individuals as

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Speaker 1: soon as they those results are known.

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Speaker 2: Okay, Now the vaccination program, where are we act in

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Speaker 2: terms of there's still being no bookings, When are we

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Speaker 2: expecting more of those to open up?

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Speaker 1: So, Katie, as I think we discussed yesterday, the days

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Speaker 1: are certainly blurring for me this week, but we put

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Speaker 1: online close to two thousand additional appointments on Tuesday afternoon.

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Speaker 1: The departments looking through now to see if we can

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Speaker 1: add additional appointments, looking at the supply and also the

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Speaker 1: ability for us to deliver those appointments each week. So

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Speaker 1: we just ask people to be patient as soon as

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Speaker 1: they're available. They'll be placed online for people to make

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Speaker 1: that booking. They can also access We've got pharmacies coming

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Speaker 1: online and GPS coming online with vaccination, so there is

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Speaker 1: more than just the anti government booking system. They can

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Speaker 1: reach out to those two to see if there's any

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Speaker 1: available appointment.

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Speaker 2: Now we know that the Prime Minister yesterday said people

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Speaker 2: under forty can get astroseneka, do you think that they should?

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Speaker 1: So? Codie, what I would say to anyone that's listening

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Speaker 1: to this that's under forty is have a conversation with

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Speaker 1: your GP or your primary health care provider, your individual circumstances.

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Speaker 1: They vary greatly, and I'm not a clinical expert. I'm

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Speaker 1: not a clinician at all, and so it would be

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Speaker 1: irresponsible of me to give that advice over the radio.

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Speaker 1: But I do encourage people to discuss with their GP

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Speaker 1: their health concerns at vaccination and specifically vaccination for COVID

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Speaker 1: and what might be best for them.

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Speaker 3: Minister, can I get an update?

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Speaker 2: You and I spoke yesterday about the situation with the

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Speaker 2: miners still on the Tatamie mind site.

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Speaker 3: Can I get a bit of an update.

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Speaker 2: Did health authorities get in contact yesterday or are they

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Speaker 2: out there and what can you tell us?

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Speaker 1: So the Minister for Mining spoke to the Tanama Mining Management. Again,

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Speaker 1: the MIND certainly has faced some challenges in this situation,

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Speaker 1: but we've been advised that the welfare of the mine

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Speaker 1: has been there's been a number of steps taken to

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Speaker 1: improve those conditions for them out there, and that NT

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Speaker 1: Health is working within the welfare group, which is Territory

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Speaker 1: Families and the Tanami gold Mine, the Newmounts officials to

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Speaker 1: make sure it's as comfortable as possible for those individuals

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Speaker 1: on the mine, and of course NT Health is managing

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Speaker 1: the quarantine and infection control processes at the MIND, Katie.

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Speaker 3: And have they now got adequate food Katie?

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Speaker 1: My understanding is yes, that the welfare group's worked with

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Speaker 1: Newmont so that staff can have not only making sure

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Speaker 1: that they're getting access to proper food, but also that

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Speaker 1: they're getting some opportunity to exercise daily and also do

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Speaker 1: some laundry. That was one of the concerns that have

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Speaker 1: been raised around access to clean clothes and things like that.

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Speaker 2: Minister, when are we going to find out if indeed

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Speaker 2: the lockdown is lifting tomorrow? Will it be you know,

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Speaker 2: will we have a better idea today. I'm thinking more

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Speaker 2: so in terms of a lot of our businesses who

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Speaker 2: are either going to need to be prepared to stay

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Speaker 2: locked down or need to be prepared to open and

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Speaker 2: ensure that they've got the adequate resourcing etc.

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Speaker 3: To be able to do so.

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Speaker 1: Katie, we're very conscious of the needs of particular businesses, hospitality, retail,

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Speaker 1: to ross this stuff. We're very conscious of that and

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Speaker 1: we appreciate the community has gotten behind this lockdown. Everyone

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Speaker 1: has done the right thing. We've literally seen one or

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Speaker 1: two breaches where people have waitingly ignored the rules, and

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Speaker 1: so we're really appreciative of the community. This is for everyone,

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Speaker 1: this lockdown, but we're very conscious people need to have

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Speaker 1: an understanding of what the plans are. Is this going

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Speaker 1: to go on or can they start to make some

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Speaker 1: plans for the weekend, and so the Chief Minister will

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Speaker 1: speak to that later today.

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Speaker 3: Okay, a few questions from listeners. Why are florists allowed

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Speaker 3: to operate at the moment?

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Speaker 1: So, Katie, the essential businesses are listed under the Choe direction.

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Speaker 1: I know that there's been some questions around why certain

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Speaker 1: businesses are allowed to operate and why they aren't. These

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Speaker 1: are the directions by a health officials and so that

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Speaker 1: is what they've directed can be opened during this period

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Speaker 1: in terms of Flora specifically, I don't know the rationale

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Speaker 1: behind that. I'm happy to speak to Midbye.

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Speaker 2: Okay, I've got a question here. This one says Hi Katie. Well,

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Speaker 2: this will be our third day for me and my

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Speaker 2: two young sons to try and get tested after discovering

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Speaker 2: we were at Bunning's at the right time now Tuesday,

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Speaker 2: following on from the Chief Minister's evidence to advice, sorry

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Speaker 2: to just drive in three hours, wait to just be

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Speaker 2: told you need to book, and turned around Wednesday, booked

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Speaker 2: an appointment at five twenty five pm and turned around

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Speaker 2: again because they are at capacity. I explained our situation

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Speaker 2: and was told they only really concerned about the buff

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Speaker 2: club and the zumba class and someone would call us

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Speaker 2: to rebook.

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Speaker 3: But no one's called.

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Speaker 2: Now all three of us starting to show sign of

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Speaker 2: a cold and have been in line for about two hours.

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Speaker 2: The government all year have been saying how great they

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Speaker 2: are at handling this and they're ready. Sorry, but what

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Speaker 2: a load of craps is that person?

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Speaker 1: So, Katie, in terms of that to the individual it's

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Speaker 1: from your comment there, it sounds like they're in the

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Speaker 1: line at Marara presently, and I would urge them to

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Speaker 1: stay in that line, and as I said, we're making

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Speaker 1: sure that that line does flow through. I'm also happy

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Speaker 1: to if you provide me with those details off there,

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Speaker 1: to ask Health to contact them. It sounds like they

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Speaker 1: genuinely are one of those contacts, and certainly you know,

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Speaker 1: feel for them, especially with two young children, so happy

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Speaker 1: to chase that down as well.

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Speaker 2: All right, minister, we are due to catch up with

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Speaker 2: a mum we've been contacted by who's out in well

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Speaker 2: quarantine out at Howard Springs. She's not able to get

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Speaker 2: a sterilizer out there while she's caring for a baby.

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Speaker 2: Why are parents caught up in this not provided with

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Speaker 2: those essentials if they are out there in quarantine.

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Speaker 1: So, Katie, I am aware of this specific case and

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Speaker 1: I have had some details provided to me around frustration

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Speaker 1: with lack of baby amenity products, and as a mother myself,

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Speaker 1: I find that unacceptable. I've spoken to the department and said,

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Speaker 1: we really need to make sure that these people. This

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Speaker 1: I understand is someone that's flown in from a hot

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Speaker 1: spot location within Australia, so they might not have been

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Speaker 1: aware of it as they were packing for the plane

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Speaker 1: and then have been caught up in this situation. I've said,

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Speaker 1: we need to be far more flexible and provide amenity

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Speaker 1: to these individuals who no faults of their own, who

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Speaker 1: are caught up at Howard Springs. So I've asked the

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Speaker 1: Department that specific request, but more broadly, can we have

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Speaker 1: some of these products that are needed, are essential to

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Speaker 1: care for young children and babies or perhaps elderly residents,

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Speaker 1: to make sure that we've got those on hand so

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Speaker 1: we can respond far more quickly into the future. But

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Speaker 1: I certainly apologize. I will listen to what is said

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Speaker 1: if I can, otherwise I'll make sure I get a

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Speaker 1: brief on that. But I certainly apologized from what has

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Speaker 1: been explained to me, it's not acceptable.

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Speaker 3: Minister.

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Speaker 2: One last listener question, Katie, why did they not bring

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Speaker 2: the miners into Howard Springs better facilities for them.

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Speaker 1: So, Katie, the mine has a COVID management plan and

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Speaker 1: that plan has been enacted. The plan is to bring

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Speaker 1: the infectious people in, to provide them with the medical care,

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Speaker 1: and to keep the mind site as an isolated facility

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Speaker 1: and care for people until they test positive. So that's

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Speaker 1: the plan that has been in place since the start

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Speaker 1: of the pandemic. We have these plans for a number

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Speaker 1: of these locations where people do live and work on

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Speaker 1: site across the territory, and so those plans were followed.

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Speaker 2: Minister, we are going to wrap it up just finally,

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Speaker 2: we know it's Territory Day.

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Speaker 3: Happy Territory Day to you. When are we expecting we're

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Speaker 3: going to get to celebrate.

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Speaker 1: Well, that's a question that my kids keep asking me.

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Speaker 1: So yeah, as the Chief Minister said, incredibly disappointing, Happy

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Speaker 1: Territory Day to all Territorians, reflecting on this day in

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Speaker 1: nineteen seventy eight where we were given selfment, we will

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Speaker 1: have a day where we can all come together and celebrate,

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Speaker 1: and hopefully that's sooner rather than later, once we sent

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Speaker 1: through the pandemic situation that's facing us right now in

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Speaker 1: the Territory.

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Speaker 3: Health ministon Natasha Files.

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Speaker 2: We will leave it there and probably be speaking to

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Speaker 2: you again tomorrow. Let's hope that we get some good

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Speaker 2: news a little bit later this morning.

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Speaker 1: Thank you, Take care